Between the Two of Us
by daydream11
Summary: After admitting their feelings to one another, Katara and Aang plunge into an innocent relationship. They soon find out that love isn't always easy after a series of events that's enough to make anyone scream. Will they survive or be broken apart forever?
1. That One Day

Wazzup, peeps? Happy New Years! Okay, whatever, this story is the remake of _Katara_ _+ Aang_, if you must know. And if you want that actual story, you can always go to but if you want a much better version, worthy of the Rated T status, then stay and read.

I don't own Avatar: TLA, or any of its characters.

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Aang sat on the beach, watching the sunset. They were resting for a day or two before they would continue on to the Earth Kingdom, so that he could learn his earth bending. Katara had been helping him to master his water bending skills, and was successful. _Katara_, he sighed. _Let me just admit it to myself, I am in love with her_. _Her eyes, that gorgeous hair, her smile. And what the heck, those curves._ He started to blush, getting embarrassed by his thoughts. He knew he shouldn't feel that way about her, because of his being the Avatar and an air bending monk, but he was thisclose to not caring at all. He heard soft footsteps, and looked up to see Katara sit down beside him.

Aang turned to look at her, she had her hair down in bed-head waves, and it was easy to figure out that she had just woken up. They sat in silence, before she spoke up. "Good morning, Aang," she said. "Morning, Katara," he replied, unknowingly moving closer to her. Katara noticed. _Nothing to worry about, right?_, she thought. Katara had grown quite a crush on him, but she knew she shouldn't. _He has duties. And he is my best friend. Everyone knows what happens to best friends when they decide to get together. Hold up; wait a minute, am I getting a little ahead of myself? I don't even know if he likes me like that._ (A/N: she's quite the dumb one, huh?) "So, Aang. Are you okay? You seemed worried when you woke up," Katara said, trying to start a decent conversation. "Yeah, I'm fine." She gave him a look; she knew him like the back of her hand. "Ummmm," Aang looked at her nervously. He knew exactly what he wanted to talk about, but it was a bit of a touchy subject.

Taking a deep breath, he started: "I need some advice."

Katara looked at him with genuine curiosity. "Okay, what is it?" She asked.

"Um, I kind of like someone," he blurted out, turning red and looking away.

_Who could he _possibly _like? I mean, come on, there is Jun and Meng and me, but we all know that he would never like- OH CRAP! Maybe it is me?_, she thought. She looked back at all those times they shared. Her mind began to wander. Katara looked at Aang who was looking at her for an answer.

"Well, okay. Who is it?" Katara asked, almost scared.

Aang's facial expression changed. It went from embarrassment to nervousness. She noticed. "Uh, well. I, IlikeyouKatara." _Deep breath, Aang. The worse part is over._ Aang looked at Katara, whose expression was clearly readable, had (_could it be?_) pleasure written all over it.

"Well, Aang…." She didn't finish because she had leaned over to kiss him, softly, but still full of happiness and passion. Aang was surprised, to say the least. He looked into Katara's eyes, and leaned in to kiss her. This time the kiss lasted for much longer, Aang laying half on top of her, kissing. Suddenly, when things were getting hot and heavy, he felt a strong yank on his shirt. He gave into the yank, mostly because it was unexpected, the rest because it was Sokka. _SOKKA! Damn!_ He let Sokka drag him back to the camp, where he sat Aang roughly on his sleeping bag, before sitting across from him. Aang tried to avoid his glare, but it was hard. "So, Sokka, hi," but he was cut off by Sokka suddenly grabbing his shirt. "Don't ever do that to my sister, again! If you want to, come to me first for permission. I swear. Aang, you are TWELVE! You are a bit too young for that, anyway." Sokka didn't know whether to curse him out for kissing his sister or let it go and act like a big brother. He decided on the latter, because he knew that his sister and Aang would get together eventually. He didn't expect the next question from Aang:

"Why am I too young? Is something the matter?" Sokka froze in his spot. The kid was twelve, for God's sake! Kissing leads to making-out, and that leads to touching, and we all know what that usually leads to. "Sokka, tell me? Is something the matter with kissing?" _Deep breath, Sokka. He doesn't know about that stuff, _Sokka thought. _You can tell, if you just look at him._ The warrior looked down at the monk, who practically begging him for an explanation. "Look, Aang, it isn't really the kissing that is my problem. It is the things that it leads to," he said. _Goodness, this is embarrassing. If he keeps going at this rate, I just might have to give him "the talk", and I really don't want to do that._ "What are you talking about?" _Come on, Sokka. Give me some clues. I need to know._

"Okay, Aang. Here goes….."

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Seriously, isn't that so much better than the original? Oh and, I took inspiration from a few stories. Stay tuned.


	2. Talking To You

Hi, guys! SNOW DAY! I am so excited! And get this: there is hardly any snow! Okay, when we practically had a blizzard, all of the BCDS kids had to go to school, but when there is hardly any snow, we get a snow day! I've been weirded out. Curse New England weather. I miss the common sense of Maryland's weather. Anyways, now that I have gotten that off of my chest, here comes the next chapter!

I don't own Avatar.

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"So, Sokka. I still don't understand how babies are made," Aang said, completely embarrassed by the conversation that he was having with Sokka. _Why is it such a big deal anyway? Sokka himself said that it was a natural thing._ Aang was clearly befuddled, and looked up at Sokka with expectancy.

"Aang, are you completely sure you don't understand?" Sokka's face was a deep red, almost purple, and he had just gone through the _whole_ talk, about being a virgin, the feelings that people get, the whole entire process, even puberty. _And I _definitely_ don't want to go through the "making babies" part again._

"Yea, Sokka. I don't get it!" Aang was getting frustrated. _This is just so much, and it is way to confusing for me._ He looked up at Sokka. "Well, Aang, when a man and ….

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Katara had been worried for Aang, because she knew what Sokka was capable of doing. _He isn't too fond of me getting involved with guys_, she thought. (A/N: like we didn't find that out in the first episode, right?) After washing up, she decided to go find them, walking towards camp. She stopped when she heard calm voices coming from the camp. _No screaming? What are they talki-, OH, NO! Sokka is giving Aang "the talk". Well, he _did _tell me that he was going to do it as soon as Aang got himself a girlfriend._ She stopped to listen, laughing when she heard Aang ask Sokka to explain things again.

"Aang, did the monks ever teach you _any_ of this?" she heard Sokka ask him, when he was done explaining things. She scooted close enough to see their faces. Katara saw Aang shake his head. "Nope. Giatsu (sp?) did tell me that monks were supposed to remain chaste, but he never went into details." Sokka looked at him. "Well, whatever, right? Just remember what I said and come to me when you have questions, okay?" Sokka said, clearly glad that the talk was over. "Sure, I will," Aang answered, meaning every word that he said. Sokka could tell that he meant it, too. _I meant what I said, too, but that doesn't mean that I _want _you to come._ The two boys sat in silence when Katara walked in.

"Okay, guys, let's try to go find a market. We are running a little low on supplies," she said, trying to steer them away from that topic. She looked at them. _Aang is avoiding my gaze, he'll come around, and Sokka looks like he wants to talk to me._ "Katara, can we talk," Sokka demanded, while Aang broke his gaze from the sand to look at the two. _I was right, he wants to talk_, she thought, as Sokka led her a little ways from camp.

He took a deep breath before starting.

"Katara, I'm not really upset that you two are involved, but I didn't like how I found you two." _It's a good thing that she already knows about those things, I couldn't bear to give_ two_ of those talks today._

"Look I already know what you were speaking to Aang about, okay?" Katara stated.

"I know you did, I could hear you in the background, and so could Aang."

_I didn't expect that_, she thought.

Sokka grinned. "Well, as you already know, I gave him that talk. He took it very well," he said, waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he continued:

"And just like I told him, you are too young for things like that," he stated. Katara looked at him with anger and curiosity. _Too young? I'm fourteen! I thing I could handle a make-out._

"Sokka, I am fourteen years old. I think that I could handle a little kissing," she said, repeating what she was thinking.

"No doubt that you probably could. But it is the things that it leads to, Katara. You both can't handle that, and you that I'm right. What if you got pregnant? Then what would you do?" Sokka argued, raising his voice a little.

_Damn, he's right for once. _"Sokka, I know what you're saying, and I agree," she said hesitantly. "But,"

"NO BUTS, KATARA!" he yelled before calming down again. "If you want to make-out with him, fine, go ahead. But don't go to far, okay? All I'm saying is that you need to keep your mind straight." And with that, her brother walked back to camp.

Katara stayed processing everything that he had said.

_He is right, completely right. But I'll show him that I can be responsible. _

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Meanwhile, Aang was sitting by the fire, with his purchases around him. He had decided to go shopping while the two siblings were gone (_goodness, were they loud!_), and had bought plenty of food and supplies, and were putting them into their bags. He was thinking about the lecture Sokka had given him.

_Well, that was embarrassing. And all of that because I was kissing Katara. And for some reason I don't think that he was making a big deal out of it. Who knew there was so many things that came from a kiss? Seriously, I didn't know all of that came from kissing. _Aang got red, thinking about some of the things Sokka had taught him about.

_Damn those monks. Couldn't they at least had told me a little about those things? Even if I wasn't supposed to go near a girl? Instead of Sokka giving me that information, which was way too humiliating. And he had such knowledge about it._ His thoughts began to stray from the talk. It was about who heard it. He started to sweat.

_I'm sure Katara knows about all of that stuff. Oh, goodness. But how am I supposed to face her? Now that I know about these things I will feel so awkward. And those dreams I used to have about her. _Aang didn't have the time to think about it anymore when he heard Sokka come back, followed close by Katara. He found it surprisingly easy to look at her.

"You went shopping Aang?" she asked.

"Yea, I got plenty of stuff. It was pretty cheap there at the market."

"That's good. We don't have much money to spend, anyway," Sokka added.

"We know," Katara and Aang said at the same time. Blushing, they looked at each other, while Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you two lovebirds. Let's go before Zuko catches our trail. (A/N: I really don't want to put him in this story, but if my fans insist, I will. When you reply, tell me, and I might, if majority rules, and if I feel like it)

The trio started to pack up their bags, getting on Appa and taking off with the familiar, "yip, yip!".

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Okay, sorry I had to stop there, but I am tired of typing. Stay tuned.


	3. Day to Night

I'm still waiting for those votes, people. So far no one wants the guy in the story. Good, neither do I. (Sorry, Zuko, baby. Don't worry; I'll come back for you in another story). Isn't that messed up? I love to see Katara and Aang together, but I have a soft spot for Zuko. Whatever. So, anyways, here is my wonderful new story.

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Katara, Aang, and Sokka were on Appa, making good progress to Omashu. Sokka was snoring and Katara was lying beside him, thinking. Aang was on Appa's head, guiding him.

_Aang and I really need to talk_, Katara thought, crawling carefully towards Aang. Lying down, she looked at him quietly. Aang noticed her and looked up, happy that it was dark out so that she couldn't see him blush. _She has that effect on me_, he thought.

"Hi, Katara," he said, deciding to start the conversation.

"Hey, Aang," she said before continuing. "I haven't talked to you all day. How are you?"

He shrugged. _Not much to go on_.

"So, um, Sokka told me that he talked to you about some, uh, stuff," she told him.

"Yea, it was kind of embarrassing," he stated.

"I know it is. My dad gave the same one to me before he went on to war," Katara said. Aang looked up at him, trying hard not to laugh.

"At least another guy told me about that, and it was humiliating enough. I couldn't imagine your father telling you about that stuff," Aang said, before he let his hold on his laughter go. Katara watched him, laughing along.

"Yea, well, that's life you know?" she said.

"Yea," he said, hesitating. _I wonder if I should tell her that I heard her little discussion with Sokka._ Before his mind could decide, his mouth told her what he heard. _Please don't be mad._ Surprisingly she wasn't (A/N: and we all know how she can overreact.).

"Yea, well, I hate to admit it, but he was right. We should be careful about how far we go," she suggested, not realizing that she was holding her breath.

"Yea, I know. And we will," Aang said. They looked at each other. Both wanting their relationship, both knowing what could happen, but never wanting to remember what could happen. They smiled at each other.

"So let's put that behind us," Katara said. Aang nodded in agreement, never once releasing his gaze on his new girlfriend. He crawled up and kissed her. She gave in, lying down so that he could be on top of her. His hands went up and down her back and her legs; she traced along his arrows, which made him shiver lightly under her touch.

They broke apart and sat up, each sweaty and happy, looking at the other. Katara lied down onto his lap, quickly falling asleep. Aang woke Sokka up for his turn guiding Appa, then lying down beside Katara, falling asleep.

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Katara woke up at sunrise, looking around at her surroundings. Sokka was steering Appa and when she saw how close Aang was, she started to blush. She got up and bended some water to clean her face. She looked down at Aang, stroking his cheek. _You can sleep so peaceful even when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders._ Shaking her head, she went to go talk to her brother. "Morning, Sokka," she said.

"Morning, Katara. How was your sleep," he asked her, smirking. It was fine. _I don't like that look on his face. It is like he knows something that I don't._ Her suspicions were confirmed.

"I saw how close you two were sleeping," he said.

"Sokka, don't start that with me. We weren't doing anything. Leave us alone," she argued, trying to not let her voice get too high.

"You better not be doing anything," her brother commented. Katara rolled her eyes. _Why is he overreacting so much? I thought that he was okay with this!_

"Look, Katara, I just don't want anything to happen, okay? I mean, what I saw yesterday, it scarred me as a big brother." Katara couldn't help but giggle at his last statement. "Plus he is one of my closest friends. It is against code for a guy to go out with his best friend's sister." _I never heard about that one,_ Katara thought.

She sighed. "Sokka, I told you before, we'll be careful, okay?" she said, getting a little frustrated that they were going through this again. Sokka saw her expression and calmed down. _I'm just not going to let my baby sis' get screwed by some 12-year-old._ The two sat in silence.

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Aang woke up just at the end of Katara and Sokka's conversation. He had only heard Katara say that they would be careful, so he knew that Sokka was still giving them a hard time. _Whatever, he is always going to be like that. No point in worrying about it. _Sighing,he got up and hit his head with a gentle blast of cool air to wake him up, then bended water to clean his face. He turned around to let the two companions know that he was awake, but they were already looking at him.

"How much of that did you hear?" Sokka asked him.

"The last thing Katara said," Aang answered, stretching out before sitting down.

Katara and Sokka nodded their heads like they approved. Sokka turned back to face in front of him.

"Hey, guys! There is land! Do you want to stop?" he asked.

"Yea, sure." It would be nice if I could take a bath," Katara said.

"Aang?"

"Whatever," Aang said, not caring if they stopped or not.

"Okay, going down." Sokka steered Appa, gracefully landing.

Momo was the first one off, quickly disappearing, probably to find some fruit.

"I'll be right back," Katara said, grabbing a change of clothes and a dry rag. Aang watched her go, staying and practicing his bending.

"Sooo, Aang. How are things going with Katara?" Sokka asked, bored and trying to make conversation.

"Things are good; thanks for asking," Aang replied, concentrating on his bending. He looked over at the warrior. Sokka was not paying any attention; in fact, he was softly snoring. Sighing, Aang stopped practicing for a few minutes and ate some pears. _How are things going with Katara? I mean we kiss and all, but we never spend some alone time together._ Aang remembered that the last time that they had really talked was when they were back at the Southern Water Tribe, and Yue was showing them the Water Temple. _Oh, well. We can talk later._ He was about to start practicing again when Katara came back. Her hair was still wet. _I love how her hair looks when it is down._ The water drops clung to the soft strands, glistening in the sun.

"You look great, Katara," Aang commented, not once taking his eyes off of her. Katara faintly blushed, then sat down on the sand to comb out her hair.

"Thanks, Aang," she said, smiling. _I love him so much. He is so sweet and kind and brave. You don't find a guy like that much anymore._ Her thoughts wandered to Haru and Jet. _Nope, you don't,_ she thought, not once doubting her decisions about Aang. (A/N: don't worry, the drama I promised will come a little later. I'm just trying to get their relationship off the ground. No pun intended.) She finished combing her hair, putting it in two braids. (A/N: aw, come on, like you don't get tired of the same style all the time) She looked at hi, smiling again. She leaned in and gave a light peck on his lips, then started to eat some fruit. When she was done, she talk again.

"So, Aang. When do you want to start practicing?" she asked him, not noticing a slight fall in his expression.

"We can start a little later, but can I ask you something?" he said.

"Yea, sure. Anything," she answered, looking at him intently.

"Do you want to hang out for about an hour? You know, before we start to practice water bending?" the monk asked, waiting excitedly for her answer.

"That will be great. We haven't spent some time together for a while," she said, clearly happy with the thought of talking, kissing and just being with Aang.

Smiling, they got up, walking down the back.

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Okay guys, that's all. I gotta get ready for school (please don't let them make me go). I'll write soon. And you know that blue button? Yes, it wants you to review. Plus, I like getting those emails that says you do.


	4. All Because of an Amateur

This is hilarious! Every single person who voted so far voted for NO ZUKO! Think about it. Seriously, I didn't know that that many people wanted a story that leaves Zuko out of the picture. Glad to make you guys happy. (Audience stands in wild applause) Now without further ado, CHAPTER 4! And a special treat, there is a little "couple drama" in here.

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Aang and Katara were lying down in the sand, their sides hurting from laughing too much. They had spent the hour talking, laughing, reliving memories, and just having a great time. Aang looked over at Katara. Her two braids had become undone; it was down in gorgeous caramel waves. _Gosh she is _gorgeous! He thought. Aang's hand reached down into her hair, gently combing it out. Katara looked up at him. She let her mind wander to when they first met (or rather, she found him in that giant ice cube). He was in her arms, and she remembered how her breath had caught when she had met his beautiful gray eyes. _Those eyes; I fell for them the moment I saw them,_ she thought. The two sat up; Aang nervously taking her hand.

"It's such a beautiful day, Katara. I'm glad that you decided to spend some time with me," he said.

_That is so sweet_, she thought.

Aang started to stroke her hand. He wasn't very graceful, though. _He is such an amateur_. She started to giggle, not aware of the effect it was having on Aang. His mood turned from carefree and happy to confusion and frustration. He stood up, turning away from her. _Why is she laughing at me? I want to make her happy, and I'm trying, and it still seems like she thinks this is funny!_ (A/N: can you really blame him?)

"Why are you laughing at me?" he asked her, practically yelling.

_What is his problem?_

"What has gotten into you, Aang?" she told him, seriously wanting to know why he was acting like this all of a sudden.

_Don't play dumb, Katara_, Aang thought, getting a little hot.

"I try to make you happy, to enjoy this moment with you, and you laugh in my face! What is that about?" Aang yelled. With a little guilty satisfaction, he saw Katara flinch at his tone.

"I'm just laughing because you are an amateur!" she explained. Aang's face went from disbelief to anger to sadness and back again. _What the hell does she mean by that?_ His face must have shown his thoughts, because Katara was frantically trying to explain herself.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just" Katara stuttered, but was interrupted by Aang.

"What do you mean then? Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you think this is a joke, like you don't take me seriously!" he stopped for a moment to kook at her. She was near tears, and looked like a little kid caught in the candy jar.

"Aang, please, calm down. Let me explain!" Katara choked out, crying.

"You can explain later. I need to go for a while to go after my thoughts," he whispered, walking away. Katara ran after him, grabbing his hand. Aang gently pushed her away, saying, "Please leave me alone. I need to spend a little while by myself."

Katara cried harder, looking back after him before running back to camp.

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Sokka looked up too late, seeing a rush of blue pass him. He watched as Katara sat down, sobbing. He got up mad, expecting the worst. _What did Aang do!_ Katara must have seen him get up.

"Sit down, Sokka. I messed things up. Don't worry about me. Aang didn't hurt me," Katara managed to say. _And mess things up I did,_ Katara thought, making herself more upset. Before she could start another round of tears, she felt herself be pulled into a warm embrace.

"What happened, Katara? Come on, you know that you can tell me anything," she heard Sokka whisper. She looked up at her older brother, almost surprised to see him really wondering what was going on.

"Well- me and Aang- were- sitting on the beach," Katara choked out. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Once she felt better she continued:

"And I started to laugh when he took my hand, because he was an amateur. He got mad and asked me why I was asking, and I told him what I thought."

She could here Sokka sigh in disbelief. "You really shouldn't have done that. You know how sensitive he is," he said.

"I know, I know. He just took it the wrong way," she said, trying to redeem herself. _Always think before you act, Katara_, she thought, scolding herself.

"Well, go find him and apologize. I don't want you two to not speak to each other. It would get too quiet," Sokka told her. Katara nodded and tried to offer a smile at her brother's weak attempt to cheer her up.

"Thanks, Sokka,"

"Anytime."

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Katara walked along the trail, eventually coming to a small village. _I hope Aang is here._ She started to look around, before she came to a site that she couldn't believe. Aang was lying down, unconscious, with an arrow in his leg. It wasn't much blood, but Katara knew that the only way he could be unconscious was if the arrow was tipped with poison. _Oh, God! What happened!_ She burst into a fresh round of tears, taking the arrow, picking him up and carrying Aang back to Sokka.

"OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED!" he screamed.

Katara looked like she wanted to cry. "I don't know, but let's hurry and get him cleaned up."

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How was that chapter for ya? Guess you didn't expect that last part. As much as I hate cliffies, reading them and writing them, I have to think of another chapter. Review please!


	5. Because of You

Hi peoples. I absolutely hate history from now on. I had to do a paper on family im/migration, and it took me _two_ hours to get only two and a half pages! Isn't that just awful? Anyways, in other news, seriously, you guys should listen to Jesse McCartney's CD _Beautiful Soul_. The lyrics might seem on the corny side to you, but just listen to the background melodies. That boy has some serious taste. And I recommend 3LW's CD _A Girl Can Mack_. It came out a few years ago, but the songs are excellent. And me and two of my friend started an Avatar website, it is under construction, but visit it and tell me what ya think, okay? You can find the website addy in my profile. It is supposed to be a site where you can talk to other Avatar fans, and it will be, but it isn't just yet. For now, let me get off my soapbox and continue the story. Oh, and if you were wondering why Aang didn't get hit in a "better" place, it was for a reason. Hey, the story is labeled drama, remember? And this chapter will be kind of on the dark side, which matches my mood at the moment.

I don't own Avatar.

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Katara held Aang as Sokka pulled the arrow. The bleeding sped up a little bit. Katara inspected the gash. It wasn't too deep, but it was already getting infected. "We need to hurry up," she said, clearly worried. She was trying not to cry, but she couldn't help remember her last conversation with Aang.

13flashback31

_Aang and Katara were lying down in the sand, their sides hurting from laughing too much. They had spent the hour talking, laughing, reliving memories, and just having a great time. _

"_It's such a beautiful day, Katara. I'm glad that you decided to spend some time with me," he said. _

That is so sweet_, she thought_.

_Aang started to stroke her hand. He wasn't very graceful, though_. He is such an amateur. _She started to giggle, not aware of the effect it was having on Aang. His mood turned from carefree and happy to confusion and frustration. He stood up, turning away from_ _her_. Why is she laughing at me? I want to make her happy, and I'm trying, and it stillseems like she thinks this is funny!

"_Why are you laughing at me?" he asked her, practically yelling. _

What is his problem?

"_What has gotten into you, Aang?" she told him, seriously wanting to know why he was acting like this all of a sudden._

Don't play dumb, Katara, _Aang thought, getting a little hot._

"_I try to make you happy, to enjoy this moment with you, and you laugh in my face! What is that about?" Aang yelled. With a little guilty satisfaction, he saw Katara flinch at his tone._

"_I'm just laughing because you are an amateur!" she explained. Aang's face went from disbelief to anger to sadness and back again_. What the hell does she mean by that? _His face must have shown his thoughts, because Katara was frantically trying to explain herself._

"_I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just" Katara stuttered, but was interrupted by Aang._

"_What do you mean then? Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you think this is a joke, like you don't take me seriously!" he stopped for a moment to kook at her. She was near tears, and looked like a little kid caught in the candy jar. _

"_Aang, please, calm down. Let me explain!" Katara choked out, crying._

"_You can explain later. I need to go for a while to go over my thoughts," he whispered, walking away. Katara ran after him, grabbing his hand. Aang gently pushed her away, saying, "Please leave me alone. I need to spend a little while by myself." _

_Katara cried harder, looking back after him before running back to camp._

13end flashback31

_If only I had been a little nicer_. She thought, but that feeling of self-pity was quickly diminished. _Never mind, he should have been a little nicer to _me! _Usually he is so understanding! What sparked that mood change?_ She sat silently, her mood going back and forth between self-pity and anger.

"Is the antidote ready?" Sokka asked her, snapping her out of her trip in la-la land. Katara looked down. She hadn't realized that she had been making the antidote. _What is going on with this day?_ she quietly asked herself.

"I have it right here," she answered, taking a deep breath before applying the creamy mixture onto the wound. She heard a soft gasp from Aang, realizing that the potion must've waked him up. She reached over and patted his head, motioning to Sokka to get her canteen. She bended some water on his head to calm him down. She took a rag and gently massaged the mixture in with it, then closed the wound using her healing abilities. She sat back, washing her hands and putting away the supplies they used. She glanced over at Aang, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Oh, no." Katara walked over to her brother, who was holding the arrow and looking at it.

"What's wrong, Sokka," Katara asked worriedly, wondering why her brother was upset all of a sudden. Sokka gave her the arrow with a shaky hand. Katara gasped.

"Beware. This is not the end." Katara read the engraving on the arrow over and over again, before examining it. She threw it down on the ground, letting go of her emotions at the same time. Sokka watched as his sister screamed, cried, and shouted. He watched her as she roll around in the sand and stomp her feet. He watched her go almost hysterical, before he watched Katara finally calm down on her sleeping bag. He walked over to her, soothing her by stroking her back.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, genuinely wondering why she had acted like that.

"The-sniff-arrow-choke-belonged to Jet! I-gulps for air- remembered he had arrows just like that one!" she managed to get out before bursting into another round of tears. Sokka sat back, not believing one word he heard.

_I can't believe this. Jet? Why would he do something like that? Is it because we tried to stop him from destroying the village?_ Sokka looked over at his sister, who had fallen into a deep sleep beside Aang. _Is he seeking revenge?_ Sokka got up and started to pack up his bags, confirming his answer. _Whatever-and whoever- it is, we need to get out of here, and quick._

-------------

Aang moaned as he woke up. His leg was throbbing. He sat up, realizing that he was on Appa, flying through the friendly skies. _Why am I on Appa? Last thing that I remember, I was shot with an arrow, and then everything went black._ His curiosity was cleared by Katara, who he now noticed was looking at him with happiness, concern, and apology.

"I found you lying in the dirt. You were unconscious because the arrow was tipped with poison. I took you back to camp, and Sokka helped me get you cleaned up. Then we decided to leave, because we think we found out who shot you," she tried not to cry, taking Aang's hand into her own.

"Who did it?" he asked. Aang saw Katara and Sokka exchange glances. _This is bad._

"Well, Aang. We believe it was-Jet," she quietly said. Aang looked at her and stated to cry.

"Why? Why would Jet do that to me?" the avatar asked.

"We don't know, Aang, but Katara and I are going to find out." Sokka was looking at Katara and Aang. His sister nodded. She was cuddling Aang, soothing him with her gentle whispers and touch. He watched as the two fell asleep, still holding each other.

_We'll find out._

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How did you guys like that? It was a little short, but the story is filled with good stuff. So please review, and let me think of how I want the next chapter to go.


	6. From Here to There

Wazzup, y'all! Hope you guys liked the last chapter. I decided that you guys will t find out who shot Aang, but it isn't much of a big deal, it matters more that t I used the arrow to spark some good conversation between him and Katara. If you want to have the arrow serve a bigger purpose in this story, well, majority rules. And I am warning you, the characters might seem OOC.

I don't own Avatar: TLA

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The trio were flying trough the air; Sokka was in a restless sleep, and Katara and Aang were deep in conversation. Aang had told her the whole story when he had finally remembered it; how he went to the village, how Zuko was there with his crew, and how Jet and his freedom fighters were shooting arrows at him, how he had got hit by one, and how Jet had taken Zuko and his crew and had left him there to die."

"Well that explains why the writing on that arrow was there, and why it said what it said," Katara whispered to herself. Luckily Aang didn't hear her; she didn't want to worry him with her and Sokka's discovery.

"Well, I'm just glad that you're okay," she said, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Aang smiled.

"Katara, I'm sorry for how I acted," Aang apologized. Katara looked at him._ Why did he act like that?_

"Why did you act like that, Aang?" Katara asked, truly wondering.

Aang sighed. "Well when we went on our date, we were having a lot of fun, and when we were talking to each other, we were being so honest with our feelings. So when you called me an 'amateur' I got mad because I thought you were lying to me a little bit," Aang explained. _I hope that didn't come out sounding pathetic._ But Katara looked at him with understanding.

"I'm sorry, Aang. I didn't know that you thought that," Katara said. _He is so sensitive sometimes._ Katara smiled.

"What are you thinking about," Aang asked, noticing her change of face.

"I was just telling myself that you are so sensitive," she said. _I hope he won't take that in a bad way, because he has had some serious mood swings, lately._ But Aang only smiled.

"I know. It is just that ever since I woke up from that century-long sleep, and when I found out about everything, it still affects me. And when we got together, and I felt like you were lying to me, I didn't know how to act," Aang explained. _I hope _that_ didn't sound like I was making excuses._ Aang held his breath, watching as Katara processed what he said.

"Well, Aang. I can understand where you are going, but I can tell that's not it," she said, looking at him.

_What does she mean, 'that's not it'? It's like she is digging for something that isn't there! What does she want from me?_ He looked up at the young water bender.

Katara must have heard what he was thinking, because Aang couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth: "Aang, you can tell me whatever is on your mind. You know that. It is written all over you face." Aang just stared at her.

"I am not hiding anything, I-

_What has gotten _into _him? Why is he acting like this?_ Katara watched as Aang scooted away from her. "AANG! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU; I AM TRYING TO TALK TO YOU AND STRAIGHTEN OUT OUR PROBLEMS, BUT YOU ARE NOT COOPERATING!"

"What do you mean 'not cooperating'" Aang asked, standing up to meet her face. _Seriously, what does she mean? You know what; this isn't even a decent reason to fight._ Aang got up to calm her down.

"Katara, let me explain, okay? Calm down," Aang hugged her, watching as her breathing became normal again. She looked up at him expectantly. _You better have a good reason to tell _me _to calm down!_

"Katara, there is nothing wrong. It is just that I need to get my feelings in order." Aang looked at Katara, who thankfully believed him. She nodded.

"Okay, Aang. Are you sure that is it?"

"Yes, it is." He watched as Katara scanned his face, looking for some kind of clue as to why he acted the way he did. Aang noticed this.

"I said it _is_!" Aang said, being more firm. He saw her stop and look down, like she was ashamed. _Aw, man, I shouldn't have said that._

"I'm sorry, Aang. You're right; I shouldn't be trying to get something that doesn't exist." She got up and started to walk away, and felt Aang grab her hand.

"Look Katara, I'm sorry for getting touchy with you. But you have to know, there isn't anything wrong. I promise." He gave Katara a reassuring smile, to add emphasis. He smiled when he saw Katara's expression change to relief.

"I believe you, Aang," she said, giving him a tight hug. She looked him in the eyes, giving him a small kiss. "And you know you can talk to me if you need to."

Aang nodded his head. "I know; I know." They held each other for a few minutes; then pulled into a deep, passionate kiss.

-------------

Sokka woke up to a sight he didn't deem appropriate. Katara was nearly on top of Aang, running her hand along his sides. And Aang was running his hands up and down her back- _Oh, _hell,_ no!_ Before Aang could get any closer to Katara's booty, he decided to interrupt.

"Did you guys remember anything I said?" Sokka said, laughing out loud at the fact that the two jumped apart within three seconds, Katara dangerously close to falling over the edge.

_Damnit! He caught us _again! Aang thought.

_Why does he always come in when things are getting good?_ Katara said, not hiding the intense glare she was sending her brother.

"Couldn't you stay asleep for five more minutes?" Katara asked (yelled). "Why do you always seem to interrupt when I am finally enjoying myself?" She didn't notice Sokka's surprise (angry) face, nor did she really care that Aang was nearly purple.

"Uh, Katara, can you settle down a little bit?" Aang asked her, trying to avoid Sokka's fierce look.

"I'm sorry, Aang, but I cannot forgive Sokka," Katara said to him.

"Whatever. Katara, not only is it rude to make-out with someone in front of someone else, but I could not let you go on around me. Save it for another time." Sokka gave her an answer with just as much force and angriness as she had gave him. He watched with ultimate satisfaction as she backed down, knowing that he was right.

"Fine, whatever. But when we are at a stop, please leave us alone and be kind enough to leave the room. If you don't want to see anything, go somewhere else!" she said, not wanting to let Sokka win this round of arguing.

"Fine, then. On Appa, no action going on," Sokka demanded, looking specifically at Aang when he said this. He watched as the young monk cringed under his gaze. Sokka smiled to himself and continued, "And in return, I will leave you alone when you two want to, uh, make-out."

Katara liked this plan very much. Aang, even though he didn't want to admit it, did to. "Fine, Sokka. But you need to keep your word."

"Look who's talking," she heard her brother mutter.

-------------

_Uh-oh_, Aang thought, looking down at a Fire Nation ship.

"You guys, I think we need to fly a little bit higher," Aang said, pointing down at the ship. Katara and Sokka followed his finger to where it is pointing.

"And it looks like they are readying the catapult," Sokka added. Katara just nodded. She didn't want to think about another run-in with Zuko. The trio heard shouts, and then felt Appa quickly dodge a fireball. Then the arrows started coming. Finally the people on the ship were successful, a fireball shot Appa down. Within minutes of getting captured, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were tied up to a thick bar.

"Why didn't you put us down in the prison cell?" Aang asked the captain, truly wondering.

"Because we wanted to have a little conversation with you three," the captain answered in an aggravated tone.

"_Why?_" the three said in unison. They couldn't believe what they heard.

"We know that you were partnering with those raggedy freedom fighters. That is why Prince Zuko was shot by all of those poisonous arrows! And then they took him and his crew into custody!" the captain yelled some more, using the nice word to explain 'prison'.

But Katara didn't care about Prince Zuko. She cared that Aang didn't get hit by as many arrows as he could have. "Well, we don't have anything to do with it!" she heard Aang yell.

"Like we will believe you," the captain replied, smiling an evil smile. "But for now, we are going to leave you in your current state until you can tell us the truth." With that, the captain told his crew to get back to work.

"That captain sure is dumb," Sokka said later, noticing that the captain hadn't put any guards around. Sokka didn't get an answer. He looked beside him, noticing that Katara and Aang were gone. He looked around frantically, noticing for the first time that there wasn't anyone on the deck. He also now remembered that it was the hottest part of the day, and that everyone would be below deck taking naps. _My statement is still stue, the captain is as dumb as can be!_

"Sokka, hurry up!" He looked over to see Katara and Aang already on Appa, waiting for him. He climbed out of the ropes and ran over to Appa, having Aang help him up.

"Hurry, let's get out of here," Katara said.

With that, they quickly flew away.

-------------

Now I know that a capture wouldn't go that way, but you guys are the ones that don't want much Fire Nation in the story, so stop complaining, okay? So anyway, review please!


	7. In Your Arms, Feeling Your Touch

Okay, I am beyond excited! On the website that me and my friends are making, we just got a chat room! Isn't that great? I mean, who doesn't want to sit in front of a computer and talk live with peeps across the country (and world, if anyone is not from the USA) about Avatar? I know you do! You know where you can find the website addy: my profile. Go ahead, give it a shot, and tell me how you like it. And I also did some proofreading, so the writing is better than ever! Go over there and have some fun! I know I did. Okay, enough of that, here is the next chapter! P.S. Since I don't want to make a chapter that has only two sentences, I'm just going to say right now that they are already near Omashu.

I don't own Avatar.

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The trio was flying on Appa. Sokka was awake and talking about the capture with Aang and Katara was sewing Sokka's pants again. (A/N, I swear, can he keep his pants in one piece for once?)

"I mean it; that was the lousiest capture! Who leaves their prisoners by themselves on a deck?" Sokka ranted.

Aang nodded his head in agreement. "Well, that captain must have thought that since it was the hottest part of the day, it would be better if he left us there because the sun would drain most of our energy," Aang said.

"Yea, and we would be able to fight if we had stayed in a cool cell," Katara said, knowing where Aang got his idea. But Sokka wasn't giving up.

"So, who cares? It is practically law that the prisoners are supposed to get locked up in a cell." Katara and Aang couldn't argue with that one; on every single one of their captures, they were thrown into a cell, or at least some other kind of prison.

"Yea, I guess you're right," Aang stated. "But I am still not letting go if my idea. It just seems to make more sense to me."

"What was with that weird captain, anyway?" Katara asked. "What did he mean by 'you were partnering with those raggedy freedom fighters'?" This question quickly got the boys' attention.

"I believe he thought that we were partnering with Jet," Sokka confirmed.

"Why would he think that?" Sokka asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Katara said sarcastically. "Maybe because we were in the beginning?"

Aang laughed at Sokka's expression, which looked dumbfounded. He looked over at Katara to see if her face had changed at the mention of Jet's name. _Good_, he thought, satisfied that she looked the same as she had before.

"And, Sokka, they had no way of knowing if we were still fighting alongside them," Aang added. He and Katara laughed when Sokka started to pout at his own mistake.

"Whatever," he said, turning away and grumbling.

Katara giggled at her brother. She turned to Aang. "I'm glad you are okay. I don't know what I would have done if too many arrows had hit you, and in worse spots than your leg."

Aang smiled at her and gave her a hug. He softly whispered in her ear, "I'm still here, Katara, and will be for a very long time." He felt Katara shiver lightly, and then smiled as her icy blue eyes looked into his gray ones.

"I know Aang. I know," she said. She gave him a light kiss on the lips, and ignored Sokka's complaining. "And I'm glad."

The two held each other for some time, both glad to just be in the other's presence.

"Hey look guys, land!" They were unhappy for the interruption, but happy when the forest leading to Omashu came into sight.

Aang went over to sit on Appa's head. He guided the bison to a landing, and then quickly hopped off for a stretch. "It sure is great to be on land!" he exclaimed.

"It sure is," he heard Katara agree.

"Yea, okay, hurray for solid ground, but we need to get camp up. It's getting dark," Sokka said, pointing towards the sky for more emphasis.

"We are, Sokka, calm down. Aang and I will get some firewood, and Sokka, go fishing. I don't want fruit for dinner three nights in a row." Katara started to walk towards the forest with Aang.

"And hurry you two," Sokka yelled after them. He could have sworn he heard laughing from them.

_Kids_.

-------------

Aang and Katara were a little ways into the forest, looking for firewood.

"Aang, I found some over here!" he heard Katara yell. He followed her voice, noticing that she had gathered a lot of firewood. _But where is she?_ Suddenly he felt himself get pushed against a tree, but relaxed when he felt a warm pair of lips brush over his own.

"Katara," he managed to get out, before deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his hands go a little low. He felt Katara pull away a little, so he put his hands back in their original position.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Katara pulled away and looked at him.

"I forgive you, Aang. I'm just not ready for you to touch me right there just yet." She felt herself blush a little as she said that.

"Okay," he said, respecting her. _But she _did_ say 'yet', and I am willing to wait until she is ready._

They quietly looked at each other; holding, breathing, enjoying the moment.

_Damn!_ they both thought, hearing Sokka call for them.

Aang sighed. "I guess we better get the wood and go back to camp before he comes looking for us."

Katara nodded. "You're right." Aang took some firewood and Katara took the rest. They had made sure to take only a little so that they could hold hands.

"We'll just make two trips," Katara had said.

The couple walked into camp, both frowning at Sokka's smirk. "Have fun?" he asked.

"Yes," Aang answered, laughing out loud when he saw Sokka's smirk disappear.

"Yea, and we're going back," Katara added.

"That is beyond disgusting, guys," Sokka said.

"We have a lot of firewood. Stop thinking dirty," Katara said.

"Whatever, I'll go get some more. You two stay here." They watched as Sokka marched into the forest.

"That was hilarious," Aang said. Katara could only nod her head in agreement, she was still laughing.

He kissed her on the cheek, and then got up to start a small fire. He looked over at the heap fish that Sokka had caught, and the small pile of fruits and veggies that Sokka was kind enough to get for him. _Finally, a food hunting trip gone right._

The fire started and he added more firewood to build it. When he was finished, he turned around to find Katara watching him.

Smiling, he asked her, "What?" Katara shook her head no.

"I just like to watch you," was her reply. His smile getting bigger, he sat down beside her and took her hand. They sat like that for a while.

"It's gorgeous tonight," Aang said. He knew she loved the nighttime, especially the ocean and the moon. _All of this reminds me of her_.

"I heard that," she said, so softly that he could barely hear her. He started to blush, thanking heaven that it was dark out. He didn't realize that he had said that aloud. "That is so sweet of you," she whispered into his ear, gently massaging his hand while she said it. Her touch sent shivers through him.

"You two do know that I'm watching you," Sokka rudely said. They turned, sending severe glares towards him. Katara even water whipped him. "Fine then, I'll leave you two alone." Sokka walked away from the small camp.

They settled back into that comfortable silence. Aang soon heard Katara's breath become more even and knew that she was asleep. He carried her over to her sleeping bag and laid her down onto it, giving her a few kisses before lying down on his own. The last thing he heard was Sokka asking him, "You really like her don't you?" He nodded before going to sleep.

-------------

_Aang walked around, not recognizing his surroundings. He started to panic. "It is okay, young Avatar," he heard a familiar voice say. He calmed down, walking until he found his former mentor._

"_Giatsu?" Aang asked._

"_Yes, Aang, please sit down." Giatsu said. Aang did as he was told, still looking around._

"_You are in the spirit world," he said, noticing his pupil's curiosity. Aang nodded. He knew that he was able to get there through his dreams._

"_Why am I here?" Aang asked. Giatsu smiled. _

"_I just wanted to say that I am proud of you. You have near mastered water bending, and are about to go to King Bumi to learn earth bending." _

_Aang beamed. He was glad that Giatsu was proud of him. _

"_But I also want to warn you that danger is still following you. Be careful and be smart. Use you wisdom," Giatsu said._

"_I will," Aang answered. He didn't want to disappoint Giatsu._

_The old air bender nodded. "I know you will," he said. He got up and hugged Aang before disappearing._

"_Giatsu?" Aang said._

-------------

The sun shone in Aang's eyes. He got up and rubbed them, trying to focus on the two figures that were staring at him. Katara looked worried and Sokka looked at him as if he were possessed.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked him.

"Yea, you were really starting to scare me with your mumbling and tossing and turning," Sokka added.

"I was?" he asked. His two friends nodded. "I was fine. Just another trip to the spirit world."

This statement made Sokka turn back to his work, but Katara looked more worried than before.

"Is everything alright?" she said, her blue eyes filled with concern. _I hate seeing her like this._

"Everything's fine. Giatsu brought me there on a good note." Katara nodded her head, accepting his answer.

"Giatsu? What happened to Avatar Roku?" Sokka asked. Aang got up and packed up his things before answering Sokka.

"Roku is fine. I guess the visit wasn't important enough to have him present." Aang was glad when Sokka turned back to his work. He was tired of answering their questions.

"Are we ready?" Katara asked when they were all packed up.

"Yea," Sokka replied.

"What are we going to do about Appa?" Aang asked. The three stopped and thought about it. If they left him here Zuko would be able to find them, but the walkway leading to Omashu probably wasn't wide enough for Appa.

"Bring him for now, and when we will figure out what to do with him when we get there," Sokka suggested. Katara and Aang looked at him with surprise. They didn't expect for him to come up with a good answer like that.

"Stop looking at me like that," Sokka demanded, walking away. The other two shrugged and followed him into the forest, with Appa and Momo following close behind.

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I hope you guys liked that chapter. Review please!


	8. I Know I Shouldn't

Okay, here is the next chapter. I know that the last one was kind of boring, so here is all of the drama and kaflama and confusion and hate that I promised. Trust me, it will be enough to make up for the last chapter _and_ fulfill the needs in this chapter! So sit back and enjoy!

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The three companions finally reached the other side of the forest.

"Great, we're finally here," Sokka said. He was excitedly eyeing the walkway to Omashu. He didn't care for the earth bending, he cared that he was out of that stupid forest.

"Geez, Sokka. We only walked for an hour." Katara looked at her brother. Sokka looked like he had walked for days.

"Well, if you had watched where you were going, instead of running into branches and tripping over your own feet, you would have had a decent walk," Aang said, laughing. Sokka rolled his eyes and sat down on a nearby rock. Katara turned to Aang, who was in deep thought. "Are you ready?" she asked him, knowing what was on his mind. Aang took a deep breath and nodded. _As ready as I'll ever be._

"Okay, what are we going to do about Appa?" Sokka asked, wanting to change the subject. The three turned and stared at the giant bison. Aang shrugged.

"I guess we have to leave him here. We'll just visit him every day," Aang suggested.

"Are you sure that you want to leave Appa alone?" Katara asked him. "It would be easy for the Fire Nation to know where we are if we leave him here."

"Katara's right. It is dangerous to leave him here. Can't he just fly in?" Sokka said. Aang just shrugged.

"We'll see. But for now, let's go!" With one last look at his huge pet, Aang led the way to Omashu.

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"Aang! How have you been since the last time I saw you?" King Bumi exclaimed. He gave Aang a strong hug.

"I've been great! How have you been?" Aang asked him.

"It's been great," Bumi said, mimicking his friend. "And how have you two been?" he asked Katara and Sokka. Sokka shrugged. Katara rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm.

"Oh, we're fine," she answered.

"Good. So Aang, I understand you have come here to learn earth bending." Aang nodded, knowing what he was going to say next. "It won't be easy; earth bending is different from air and water." He stopped to laugh at Aang, who was mouthing the words along with him.

"You will first need to get in touch with the earth," the king continued. _Aw man, not that crap again_, Aang thought, remembering the time he had tried to learn fire bending. "And when you feel 'earthy' enough," King Bumi stopped to chuckle at his horrible pun. The three rolled their eyes. "I will train you."

Aang had to take a deep breath. _I didn't expect him to be so straightforward. But then again, Master Pakku was the same way._ "Okay. When can I start getting 'earthy'?" he asked.

"Now, if you feel like you're ready." Bumi motioned to a door. "That leads to a special outdoor garden. You will stay there until you feel a connection with the earth. When you do, we will begin our training."

Aang nodded. "We can start tomorrow. I want to rest and explore the city," he said. Bumi nodded. "Here are a few coins for each of you," he said, giving each of them ten coins. "Go have some fun." The three teens ran off.

"Stay clear of the slides!" he yelled at their backs.

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"So where do you guys want to start?" Aang asked. They were in the market. Sokka was eyeing the food, Katara was looking at the dresses, and Aang was staring at the hats.

"Well, since we don't really know our way around, let's stay together. "Plus," she noticed what the two boys were looking at "everything each of us want is in the same area." Katara suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Aang said. They turned to where Sokka was standing, waiting to hear his opinion, but they didn't find him there. He was already paying for a few croissants. They sighed.

"Well, come on, Aang. Come with me," she offered her hand, and Aang gladly took it.

The two were at a stall; Katara was going through a few dresses. She liked each one better than the last, and couldn't decide which two she wanted to get. But Aang was looking elsewhere. _I hope I'm not seeing things._ A little ways away from the small market, a figure that looked exactly like Haru was in line with a bunch of other war recruits.

"Which two are the best?" Katara asked, holding up three dresses. "Aang, what are you looking at?" Aang just pointed to the line. Katara followed his finger, gasping when she realized who he was pointing at. She put down the dresses that she was holding.

"Oh, my, goodness! Is that Haru?" she questioned. Sokka made his way over to them, almost choking when he saw Haru, too.

"Yea, it is. I wonder what he is doing here," Aang said, still not quite believing that Haru was in Omashu. Sokka looked at him with a ' you dummy' look on his face.

"Obviously he signed up for the army," Sokka said as the line of recruits were dismissed. Haru noticed them and started walking over.

The trio took a step back.

"Wow! Who knew that I would run into you guys here?" Haru said with a big smile plastered on his face.

"Yea, well, Aang needs to learn earth bending, so we decided that King Bumi was the best person to train him," Katara offered. Haru nodded his head, looking at Aang. Aang just gave him his trademark smile in return and waved his hand. He liked Haru, but he also knew that he and Katara were friendly with each other. _I'm not taking any chances_, Aang thought.

"Well, I'll see you guys later. I have some war training to get to." Haru walked away, waving.

"Well, that was nice. We should hang out sometime with him," Katara said, turning to her brother and boyfriend. Aang shrugged and Sokka had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. _What's his problem?_

"You okay, Aang?" she asked him, concerned about his sudden mood change. Aang gave her a grin.

"I'm fine, Katara." He walked off towards the hats. Katara started to follow him, before she felt Sokka grab her arm.

"What?" she said, looking at her brother. Sokka took a deep breath before beginning.

"Look, Katara. I'm saying this as a guy. Be careful around Haru, okay? I know you two are just friends, but Aang sees it differently. He sees Haru as a threat to the relationship."

Katara looked at her brother with disbelief. "I'll be fine, Sokka. I know how Aang is. Trust me, he is not jealous." She went in the direction in which Aang had disappeared. _That's what you think_, Sokka thought, then following his sister.

-------------

Aang was at a stall paying for a hat. His mind was elsewhere though. _That Haru better not do anything to Katara. If he even looks like he is going to touch her he won't have to worry about the Fire Nation killing him; I'll do it myself._ Aang didn't notice that Katara was beside him, looking at him with concern. He turned towards her and nearly dropped his new hat from fright.

"Gosh, Katara! Don't scare me like that!" he yelled. Katara looked at him.

"Are you okay, Aang? I saw how you were acting back there." She looked at him for any hint to his mood change.

"I'll tell you later. I don't feel like talking right now," he said, walking back to the palace.

Katara walked after him. _Why is he acting this way? I'm getting a little crazy waiting for him to open up! Hopefully Sokka isn't right; it would be awful if he was jealous of Haru._ She was oblivious to Sokka's presence beside her.

"I told you so," he whispered.

-------------

_I shouldn't be acting this way; I should just tell her what's on my mind. _Aang was sitting in his room, once again thinking about Katara and her relationship with Haru. He got and left his room, walking across the hall. After a few knocks, he heard a soft voice say come in. He found Katara beside a large jar, practicing her water bending. She guided the water back into the jar.

"Hi, Aang. What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just want to tell you something," he said. _Deep breath; this isn't a big deal._ Katara took him to the small couch and sat him down.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. _Finally he's telling me something._

"Well, um, I got kind of jealous of Haru today," he said nervously. He cursed the blush that was creeping up his face.

"Why?" Katara asked him, but knowing fully why he was jealous. _Damn!_ _I hate it when Sokka's right!_

"Well, I know that you two are friends, so I got jealous," he mumbled looking at the floor. Katara took his hand and kissed his cheek.

"You don't ever have to be jealous of a guy that I'm friends with. I won't ever do anything that I know would hurt you." This made Aang look up. _Those blue eyes are just beautiful_, he thought. Katara blushed under his gaze.

"I know. But sometimes I do," he said.

"Well don't." she said, kissing him. He smiled and kissed her back, letting the kiss deepen. They fell sideways on the couch. He let his tongue slide into her mouth, savoring her warmth. She pushed him closer into her body, letting her hands run up and down his back. He let his hands run up and down her back and legs, letting them rest on her butt. They pulled away form each other, gasping for air and holding each other. Aang gave her tiny kisses on her neck, relishing her shivers from his touch.

She pulled away saying, "Go to bed. You have a long day tomorrow." He groaned but got up anyway, giving her one last kiss before going to his room.

He lay on his bed, still feeling her kiss and her touch. Her last words to him played over in his mind, like a lullaby helping him into sleep. _I won't ever do anything that will hurt you._

-------------

Aang was wakened by a few shakes. He opened his eyes to find Katara looking down on him. "Get up, sleepyhead," she whispered into his ear. "You have a long day ahead." Aang sat up.

"Good morning, Katara. What time is it?" Aang said. Judging by the light, it had to be late.

"It's near noon," Katara answered. Aang bolted out of bed.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up? It's late!" Aang said, quickly washing his face and getting dressed. Katara watched with amusement as Aang fretted.

"Calm down. King Bumi said that you should get a little more rest before you connect with the earth. Something about taking a lot of energy." Katara said.

"Well, yea, he is right about the taking a lot of energy part. When I was with Jeoung-Jeoung (sp?), it nearly wore me out with the squatting and breathing and keeping-the-leaf-from-setting-on-fire." Aang turned to Katara, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll have to thank him for letting me sleep in. I feel a lot better." He ran out the room, obviously to search for Bumi.

-------------

Katara was on the sidelines, watching Haru and the others train. They were working hard, practicing one-on-one combat and earth bending techniques. _Wow, Haru is pretty good_, she thought as she watched him take down his opponent. The leader then told the men to stand in a line, and told them that training was over for the day. Katara laughed as some of them collapsed on the ground. _They are exhausted_. Haru walked over to her.

"You were great out there," Katara complimented, noticing his bare chest. She felt a blush creep up on her face. _It isn't a crime to notice someone else, right? As long as there isn't anything happening romantically between him and me, I have nothing to worry about._

"Thanks. It's hard work training," he said.

"I could understand that. It was work learning water bending." Katara sighed with relief as Haru put a shirt on.

"How did that go?" he asked her. They started to walk towards the garden where Aang and Bumi were 'connecting with the earth'.

"It was pretty good, thanks. And how did things go after I left?" she asked, referring to her little activism trip. Haru smiled. _Gorgeous! _Then she scolded herself. _I should be thinking about Aang's smile, not Haru's. _

"It went well. I decided to join the army and my dad supported me 100." He was clearly proud of himself.

"Good for you," Katara said, meaning it. They walked in silence for a bit. Haru noticed that Katara didn't walk close to him. They reached the garden.

"Why are we here?" Haru asked, wondering why she brought him here. Katara pointed to Aang and Bumi, who were covered in dirt. Haru nodded and then laughed.

"I see that Aang is connecting with the earth," Haru said, remembering when he had to do the same thing.

"Yea, he is." She and Haru sat down on a nearby bench. She looked around and spotted Sokka sharpening his coveted boomerang.

"So, how are things going with your brother and Aang?" Haru asked. Katara looked at him. _I wonder if I should tell him about me and Aang. _

"Sokka's doing great," she said. "And Aang and I are a couple now." She waited for his response. Haru turned to Aang and back again, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Really?" he asked. Katara's face darkened. _Why? Is that a problem with you?_ she asked him silently. Haru noticed her face and was apologetic.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I just thought you two would stay best friends," he said, explaining himself.

Katara softened. "Okay. And I guess a lot of people would think that." The two sat in an awkward silence, watching Aang and the king. They were now meditating. She looked over at her brother. _He looks really bored._ Sokka was looking at the sky, his boomerang back in its place.

"I have to go. It's dusk and my trainer won't be very happy if I get to the bunk late." Katara ad Haru got up and walked outside the garden.

"Thanks for spending the afternoon with me. I had a great time," Haru said. Katara gave him a hug.

"You're welcome, Haru. Anytime," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Katara?" Katara looked at the person who had called her name. Aang and Sokka had seen her hug and kiss Haru.

"I thought you said that you will never hurt me!" Aang cried, running inside the palace.

"I told you to be careful!" Sokka screamed at her.

"But the kiss didn't mean anything, I swear!" Katara said, crying.

"But Aang doesn't know that." Sokka ran after Aang.

Katara turned to Haru. "Haru, I-

She was cut off because Haru had disappeared. With a heavy heart, Katara went inside the palace, expecting the worse.

-------------

I hope you guys liked that chapter. I hope it was enough drama for you! Review please!


	9. I Should, I Won't, but I Will

Hey peoples. I hope this chapter is to your liking. It was hard work making it; it's no fun making Aang act like he will. P.S. This chapter will be 100 times better if you have a CD of make-up/break-up songs playing in the background. "My Boo" and "We Belong Together" are perfect. You know, for effect. I don't own Avatar. I only own Samaria and her friends.

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_Why would she do that? How come? She told me that she won't ever hurt me, and she did anyway! She knew! And that stupid earth bender let her! Did she even tell Haru that we were dating! Oh God, now I know why monks are supposed to stay away from girls._

Aang sat sobbing on his bed, thinking all kinds of thoughts like this. "I hate Haru. And I can't believe Katara would do this to me!" Aang said through his sobs. He sat up and looked around. It was dark now; it was way past dinner. He looked at the platter of food someone must have left for him while he was crying. _It doesn't matter; I'm not hungry._ He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. _EW_. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy. His cheeks were swollen and ashy with dried tears. He even had drool coming out of his mouth. Aang walked over to his wash bin. He washed his face and looked the door. _I need to take a walk._

-------------

Katara and Sokka looked up as Aang's door opened. _Aang doesn't look so good, _Katara thought as Aang looked at her. His gray eyes locked with hers for a moment. "Excuse me," he said, walking around them. Katara groaned.

"I ruined things, Sokka. I really did," Katara said, sobbing. _He trusted me and I blew it. _Instead of her brother comforting her, he scolded.

"You did," he said in a tone that he rarely used. Katara looked at him.

"It was only a friendly kiss," she said for the eighth time. Sokka stood up.

"Well, Aang didn't see it as that. You'll be lucky if your friendship is repaired with him," he said. Katara sobbed harder.

"I know. That's what I'm afraid of. That and his feelings towards me." She stood up. Sokka took his sister into his arms.

"Next time you need to think before you act. You're compassionate and caring, but you're also quick to act. Sometimes you need to slow down, Katara," he lectured.

"You sound like Gran-gran," Katara said. Sokka gave her a hug and released her.

"You know I'm right," he said, walking down the hall and into his room. Katara slumped down back on the wall. _I really screwed things this time_. She walked into her room and lay down, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

31Katara's Dream13

_Katara was surrounded by black. She frantically paced around, walking endlessly into the darkness. She sat down and sobbed. _

"_Katara!"_

_Katara looked up. A ghost-like form of Aang was standing in front of her. She jumped up in happiness. "Aang! Is that you?" She walked to the figure, but it kept getting smaller and more distant. Katara stopped, and looked at the ghost with confusion. _

"_Aang? Come to me," she said in a soft, scared whisper. The figure only shook its head and became more transparent. _

"_I can't," it said. Katara's eyes swelled up._

"_Please? I won't hurt you ever again," she said. The figure came a little closer and bigger. Before Katara could reach it, however, it quickly disappeared. _

"_Aang! Please, come back! I need you!" She sat down and wept fiercely._

13End Dream31

Katara sat up. The sun was in its midday position. Groaning, Katara dragged herself out of bed and washed up. Feeling the cool water go down her back, she thought about her nightmare. _I don't like that dream _at all. _And it felt so real._ She stepped out of the tub and got dressed. She braided her hair in her usual style, and took a deep breath while looking at her reflection in the mirror. _Another day; another chance._ _Make today mean something_, she told herself. She looked at her door. _I'm going to visit Aang._ She walked towards the door, but noticed a bowl of fruit that had been left for her. She took an orange, peeling it, and eating it on her way to the training center.

-------------

Last night had been horrible for him. He had gone to the garden last night; crying, thinking, wondering. He felt awful. He had never expected to feel that kind of pain. _It's called heartbreak_, a tiny voice had told him. Now, today, he was almost done practice. He had been training since dawn, for almost six hours, and he had managed to pick up a small chuck of earth and cause a light tremor.

"Good, Aang," King Bumi had said. "You learn quickly." Now he was almost done for the day. He didn't have to train as much, but he needed to keep his mind off of Katara. _Sure, it hasn't even been a complete day, but still._ Aang created a small rise in the earth before collapsing. King Bumi chuckled.

"Don't work yourself so hard," he advised. "You may go. Get some rest." Bumi left and Aang laid down on the ground for a few more minutes before getting up. He frowned when he noticed Katara. _I can't avoid her forever. But I don't have to talk to her just yet._ Aang forced himself to walk past her, even saying hi. Katara smiled weakly. _She acts like she is happy to see me. Shouldn't she be somewhere with Haru?_ he thought bitterly.

He stopped when he got outside to gather his breath. Looking around he saw a group of girls. He smiled like a devil. _What better way to get my mind off of Katara: other girls._ He strolled over to them. They stopped talking to each other to look at him.

"Aren't you the Avatar?" one asked. Aang looked at her. _Not bad looking_. She had curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. She had a sprinkling of freckles on her tan skin. She wore the ordinary Earth Kingdom clothes for a girl: a green and brown dress. The girl and her friends noticed that Aang was checking her out.

"Yea, I am. I'm here to learn-

"Earth bending," she finished for him. She smiled at him.

"I'm Samaria." Samaria extended her hand Aang shook it. _Don't get too close to me, Samaria._ He silently told her. _Nobody likes the rebound guy, _Aang nearly screamed out in frustration. His mood changed. _I need to get over Katara; I need to spend some time with other girls_. He nearly slapped himself at the last thought. _Gosh! I can't decide! To turn my back on Katara or stay true to her?_

"Soooo, Aang? Do you want to hang out with us?" Samaria said, twirling a piece of her hair and batting her eyelashes. Aang noticed her flirting. _Two can play that game._ He took a step closer to her and gently whispered to her, "Sure. I have all afternoon." Samaria giggled and took his arm gently, steering him to her friends.

"This is Kira, Lena, Ryla, and Eboni," she said, introducing each of her companions to Aang. Aang waved and cursed the blush that came on his face. _Damn, these are some pretty girls_. His face darkened with his emotions. _Why can't I keep these thoughts in control?_ (A/N: Oh Aang, welcome to the world of to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat) Samaria noticed his mood.

"Is everything okay?" she said. Aang looked down into her attractive face. _She just had to be nice. Why couldn't she be ugly and mean? Then these feelings wouldn't be so hard to control._ He gave her his familiar smile.

"I'm fine." The two started to talk to the other girls, and Aang quickly lost himself in a good time.

-------------

Katara had followed a distance behind Aang. She had also noticed the group of girls. And she had noticed that Aang was heading towards them. _I don't like this. But Aang wouldn't do this to me._ She had to stop and remember the last time she misjudged Aang. _Or maybe he would_, she thought worriedly. She had followed him, staying a distance away, but not too far away that she couldn't hear what was going on.

_I don't like that Samaria_. She noticed how Samaria flirted with _her_ Aang; how she oh-so-subtly touched Aang on his arm and she couldn't help but noticed that Samaria and her friends were pretty. _Damn._

She sat down near an old bunch of cargo baskets, leaning back and watching Aang talk and have fun with the girls. It was late afternoon when she heard something she didn't like.

"So Aang, do you want to walk with me for a while?" Samaria asked. She was standing with her weight on one leg, with her hand on her hip and head tilted to the side. Katara bitterly admitted to herself that the stance made Samaria that much more attractive. _No surprise_, she thought with a heavy heart as Aang accepted. She ducked behind the baskets as Aang and Samaria walked past.

She once again quietly followed Aang, but this time she stayed more alert.

"So Aang…"

-------------

"…do you have a girlfriend?" Samaria asked Aang. He looked down at her. He thought sarcastically, _I don't know. Maybe you should tell me._ Aang quickly stopped himself. _She has been nothing but nice to me all afternoon._ He looked down at her hand on his hand. _A little too friendly._

"But I don't care."

"What was that, Aang?" Samaria looked up at him expectantly. Aang blushed.

"Oh, um, I do, but I'm not really sure anymore." Aang and Samaria sat down at him. Her deep brown eyes looked like they could see right through him. _She is just like Katara in the way that she can see right through me. _Aang remembered the conversations he had had with the girl beside him. She had seemed to understand him when he told her about his duties as the Avatar.

"What do you mean by that? You can tell me," Samaria pressed. _She really wants to know._

"Well, I do, but she kind of got involved with someone else, and I caught her doing it." Aang had to keep himself from bursting into tears. _I don't want to cry anymore._

Samaria giggled. Aang glared at her. She quickly stopped.

"I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that you are so nice, and you seem so caring. I can't imagine anyone doing that to you." She ran her hand along Aang's back. Aang let her.

"Yea, well, it happens." He looked at Samaria. _There she is. Take her while you can get her_. That same voice told him something, while another one said the exact opposite. _Get away. Things aren't over with Katara. Don't get there._

"It shouldn't. Nobody should go through with that kind of pain you must have gone through." Samaria smiled at him and leaned in a little closer to Aang.

Aang gave her a weak smile. _There he goes again with that mind-reading. How the hell does she do it?_ "Thanks, Samaria. You have been so good to me today."

Samaria smiled. "You're welcome." The two young teens leaned into each other. Their foreheads touched before Aang noticed Katara standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled, crying at the sight before her.

"I can't do this," he whispered in a pained voice. He felt Samaria's hand fall from his arm. He ran past Katara.

-------------

Wow, that took a lot a bravery to write. Aang and Katara have some serious issues. I can't wait for the next chapter. I'm sure that you can't either. Stay tuned!


	10. Fragile, part 1

This week was horrendous. I had so much homework, and then so many long-term assignments. Awful. And then I got banned from the computer. So putting all of that crap behind, sit back, relax, and enjoy. Beware: emotions run HIGH!

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Katara buried deeper into Appa's fur, taking in the animal's comfort. She ignored the stings from her cuts. She sighed. _I need to slow down._ She had gone to Appa to be alone. She needed to figure out what was going on between her and Aang and to fully process the "argument" she had just had.She thought back a few minutes.

13Flashback31

"_Don't ever go near him, again!" Katara screamed. Samaria only rolled her eyes. She got into her sideways stance. It made Katara feel self-conscious instantly. _I absolutely hate this girl, _Katara thought. _

"_You don't deserve him," Samaria sneered. "You are so mean to him and make him feel worthless." She took a step closer to Katara._

_In a deadly whisper, Samaria said, "And he'll be mine whether you like it or not." Samaria smiled wickedly._

_This time Katara didn't resist any urges._

_This time she didn't hold anything back._

_With one swift movement, Katara slapped Samaria across her face with as much power as she could. Samaria gasped and stumbled back obviously shocked. "You bitch!" she yelled. Samaria earth bended a rock towards Katara's head, her disappointment showing on her face when the rock hit her on the shoulder. Katara took a step back and unscrewed the cap on her canteen. The two girls circled around each other, preparing for anything that might come from the other. Samaria shook her head._

"_Stupid. You thought that I was some flirting, weak floozy." She sent a rock hurling at Katara. The girl smiled when her aim was correct. "Well you thought wrong." Suddenly, Katara saw a humongous wall surround the two. _

"_Now you can only get out if I want you to." Samaria laughed. "And I don't."_

13End Flashback31

Katara shuddered at the remembrance of the fight. Earth vs. Water. Katara hated to admit it, but she didn't stand much of a chance. _That brat is stronger than she appears._ Samaria had went all out, throwing rocks and causing an earthquake strong enough to throw Katara off balance, but too weak to be felt outside of the wall. _And curse the fact that there wasn't any water source near by_. When Katara had struggled to fight back with the little water she had, but Samaria had defended herself with walls and burying herself into the ground quickly. _And it's no help that the water got absorbed into the earth_. After the fight, Katara was weak and defenseless.

_What's worse is that I feel like I have lost my pride and dignity_. She let the hot tears fall down her cheek. _And in a way I have_.

-------------

Unknown to Katara, Aang was on Appa's other side, listening to her cry. Soon after the incident he had ran away.

13Flashback31

_Aang stumbled over rocks, trying to catch his breath. He collapsed onto the ground outside of Omashu. He was tired, hungry, and ashamed. Aang cried out at the feelings he was experiencing. _I can't keep running way, _he thought_. I need to learn how to confront my emotions and deal with them.

_He spotted Appa grazing on grass. He walked over to his pet. "Gosh, Appa. Everything is so messed up. Katara cheated on me and I cheated on her. And then we get into these stupid little arguments all of the time." _

_Appa only grunted in return. Aang sighed. _One of these days we're going to get it right. _He settled himself into Appa's fur. He had fallen into a light sleep when he heard someone approach the bison and talk to herself. _It's Katara_, he thought with happiness and hurt._ _He heard her muffled cries, wanting so badly to go over to her and comfort her. _Not just yet,_ he heard a voice say. He knew he had to be patient for things to come back to normal._

But I'm tired of waiting.

13End Flashback31

Aang started to cry. _I'm so confused; I don't know what to do. I just want to let go._ He let out a long scream, and then proceeded to sob harder.

_I can't take it anymore!_

-------------

Katara heard a close-by scream, knowing instantly who it was from. _Aang_, she said, hating her mixed emotions. _You can't hate and love a person at the same time_, a voice said. _It's one or the other_.

She stopped crying and sighed. She sat down on the ground, closing her eyes as if to shut out the world. She didn't notice that Aang had come and sat down beside her. Katara noticed a familiar warmth, and looked down to see her hand entangled with Aang's. She shook her head. _It's just not that easy_. She gently pulled her hand away from Aang's and got up to walk back to Omashu.

"Katara? Wait!" she heard Aang yell. She stopped and turned around, meeting a pair of eyes that mirrored her expression.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

-------------

Aang watched Katara's face carefully. Her blue eyes (_I've missed them so much!_) held the same emotions his held, but he couldn't be too sure.

"Aang," she whispered. Katara looked up at him. "Sometimes sorry doesn't cut it."

She slowly turned around, but Aang grabbed her hand.

"Don't go. Let me explain." Aang led her beck towards Appa and sat her down. He sat down, too, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you. I didn't even like Samaria. It was just a way to get my mind off of you." Aang felt a slap come across his face, and looked up to see an angry Katara.

"What the HELL do you mean, 'to get my mind off of you'?"

Aang winced and clutched his cheek, which now had a red handprint on it. "Please Katara, let me explain. I was upset. I didn't mean to almost cheat on you." He was interrupted by Katara.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO ALMOST CHEAT ON YOU? YOU DIDN'T MEAN IT?" Katara yelled.

"Katara, plea-

"Shut up, Aang! SHUT UP! You hurt me! Two wrongs don't make a right! You cheated on me when things were misunderstood between us!"

Aang couldn't believe his ears. _Oh no she didn't! She was hurt? _Aang glared at her. _It's my turn to get angry._

"Well you were the one who cheated first! You _knew_ that I didn't like Haru, and you still hung out with him!" Aang argued.

"You're not the boss of me. I can hang out with whoever I want," Katara said with defiance. She watched as Aang was taken aback. _That should shut him up._ She was wrong.

"I'm not asking to be your boss! I was asking you to keep things neutral with Haru! I saw you kiss him! And it didn't look the least bit like something only friends would do." This time it was Aang who watched Katara look dumfounded. _That'll give her something to think about_.

"Whatever, Aang. If you must know, I was only spending the day with Haru because you were busy," Katara said, reminding him of his Avatar duties.

"So? That didn't mean you had to kiss him! Why would you do that when you know I would get jealous?" Aang had calmed down and was near tears, so upset that he could barely talk. Katara stood where she was, not knowing what to do.

"Aang," she started her voice somewhat calmer. "I only kissed Haru to thank him for spending time with me." She watched as Aang searched her face. He shook his head.

"Yeah right. I bet there were some hidden feelings," Aang said, trying to keep his tears from falling.

Katara took a deep breath. "Well, I kind of was crushing on him a bit, but-

"See! I knew it! I knew that you still liked him!" Aang cried. Katara stepped closer.

"Maybe, but I don't want to be with Haru. I want to be _your_ girlfriend, Aang." She took Aang into her arms, hugging him and kissing the top of his head. The boy relaxed under her embrace.

"Do you promise? Do you promise that you don't like Haru?" he whimpered. _I want to believe her _so_ bad._

"I promise, Aang. And are you sure that Samaria was only a friend? And that she didn't mean anything to you?" she asked. _I need to know, Aang._ Aang pulled away and looked up, gazing into her cerulean eyes. He nodded.

"I promise."

The two sighed, holding onto the other, holding on to their fragile connection. Katara lowered her head, placing a trembling kiss onto Aang's lips.

Aang deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. Katara placed her arms around hi neck. They leaned against Appa, Aang half on top of her and half beside her. He gently pushed his tongue in her mouth, savoring her warmth and taste. _So warm; so enticing._ He ran his hands along her shoulders and chest, traveling down her sides and her legs.

"I love you," Katara moaned, her hands tracing his arrows and going down his back. She rested her hands on his butt.

"I love you, too." He pulled away from her and gave her fluttery kisses along her neck, while she rested her hands on his chest. He unraveled her hair, combing it out as her looked into her eyes. They smiled and held each other, happy to be with the other again.

_I won't ever let you go_.

-------------

Sigh. Not much happened with the drama, but I think that argument was great (and the make-out was priceless). Now I have to go and figure out how to make another great plot twist, and right now I have a good one in mind. So review, please!


	11. Fragile, part 2

Hey guys. This is chapter 11, which reminds me of something very important. I reached chapter 10!throws party that lasts past midniteSo anyways, to those who want to know, I do have plenty of plot twists that will probably make you check twice to remind you that this story is a Kataang. You heard me. I even have a list of chapters 11 to 17. So if you want to go a little deeper into the emotions, and don't mind if the characters seem a little OOC, then stay. But it won't happen just yet; not in this chapter. The roller-coaster rides start in chapter 12. But enough with that. Here is the eleventh chapter. Enjoy! Warning:a light arguments and lots of fluff!

I don't won Avatar: TLA

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Aang and Katara sat against Appa, holding hands, and enjoying being together. They were breathing heavily because they had just finished with a great make-out. Aang looked at Katara and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, allowing himself to enjoy her closeness.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too." Katara looked into his sparking gray eyes, eyes that she had hurt so much.

"I'm sorry." She hugged him, trying to find comfort in the one person she knew understood her more that anyone else.

"So am I." The two held each other for a few minutes. Aang breathed in her sweet, ocean-y scent. Katara giggled at this, pulling back and smiling.

_She's so happy_, he sighed, taking in her smile.

Katara noticed him looking at her and blushed deeply. She sighed and looked at him. _I'm so happy to see his eyes full of that happy sparkle again_. Aang saw her and turned away, hiding a blush. If you would have seen them form a distance, they would have seemed like the perfect couple. Aang stood up and offered his hand; Katara grabbed it and pulled herself up.

She looked into the distance, seeing the dusk. "We should go, Aang. Sokka is probably worrying about us." She brushed herself off and braided her hair. _I do not want Sokka to have any kind of clues to what we were doing_. Aang saw her put her hair up.

"Yea, we should. And I don't want Bumi to worry either." He watched as she finished. "You should wear your hair down more often. It's so pretty."

Katara blushed at his comment. "I haven't worn it down since my mom died. She used to help me brush it. It wasn't much, but it was nice to have that closeness to her everyday."

Aang nodded, trying to understand. _I wouldn't know much about mothers, but still, I know how it feels to be close to someone._ "Oh." Aang couldn't really say anything to her. Katara realized this and took his squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry about it, Aang. I'm fine," she reassured him. "Come on, let's go. It's getting dark really fast."

They walked towards the gate, hand in hand.

"Hey Katara? Where did your scratches come from?"

-------------

The two stepped inside the castle as the last of the light disappeared. "Just in time," Katara said. She saw Sokka in the main hallway and his worried face. "Sokka, we're okay." Sokka nodded his head, still frowning.

"I know; I really wasn't worrying about you two. By the way, have you two made-up yet?" Sokka said.

"Yea, we have. Thanks for asking," Aang replied. _I wonder why his face looks so upset_. He soon got an answer.

"Uh, Katara, Aang. You have two visitors." Sokka motioned to a bench, and the couple now noticed two people sitting there: Samaria and Haru. They got up; Samaria had a smile on her face (_so fake_) and Haru looked apologetic.

"Hi," they said, stepping closer to Katara and Aang. Katara and Aang nodded towards Haru, but Katara had a hostile look on her face. _I could understand why_, Aang thought, remembering what Katara had told him about the two girls' fight.

"So. What do you two want?" Katara asked, trying really hard not to hurt Samaria for showing up at the palace. Haru started first.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, Aang," he said, turning to the monk. "I'm not interested in Katara in that way, and I'm sorry if the kiss upset you. It didn't mean anything." He turned to Katara for support.

"Don't worry. We have already worked things out." Katara gave him a smile, hoping that it would cheer him up. She squeezed Aang's hand, signaling him to reassure Haru even more.

"It's okay, Haru. We're fine," Aang said. Samaria stood up, glaring daggers at all three of them.

"Whatever. And stop your sucking up Haru; it's extremely annoying." Samaria pushed Haru away, not caring that he got hurt. In fact, she smirked.

"If it wasn't for this floozy," she said, pointing a finger at Katara. Aang got really angry at the name.

"Don't call her that. She is not a floozy whatsoever," Aang said. He resisted the urge to literally throw Samaria out of the building.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Don't stick up for her. If I can remember correctly, you were the one who practically came crying to me saying that she had hurt you." Samaria almost fell over from laughing. She had tears in her eyes when she finally stopped. Katara and Aang looked at her with disgust. Aang shook his head. _I can't believe that I actually liked this girl_. She shuddered.

"As I continue, I brought you into my lovable charm. I knew you couldn't resist me." Samaria said. Aang looked down, ashamed. Katara decided that this was her chance to step in.

"Samaria, get out of this palace. Don't even look back. Don't ever mess with us again. Don't ever play with Aang's mind again. Yes, we were having trouble with our relationship, and yes, it was wrong for us to handle it the way we did. But now, you need to leave our lives. NOW!" Katara said all of that in a fatal tone of voice. She glowered at the earth bender and showed no intention of backing down. Samaria staggered back, knowing that Katara meant business. Haru, Sokka, and Aang watched the two girls.

"Fine. But don't worry, I'll be back!" she yelled, stomping out the doors. Katara sighed and sat down.

"Water," she requested, and Haru went and got it for her. Sokka and Aang looked at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked, reaching down and stroking her hair. Katara only nodded.

"Is she always like that?" Aang asked in a whisper. _Why did I ever fall for her?_ Katara looked at him. She was crying.

"Yes," she said, then erupted into tears. Sokka stepped aside as Aang took her into her arms, stroking her and hugging her.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that she is so malicious." he whispered. Katara shook her head.

"It's not your fault. Please don't say you're sorry; I don't need any pity. I think that she just has a hard heart. She is ruled by jealousy and hate and resentment," Katara said. Aang nodded, understanding what she meant.

"I'm sorry for what she did to you. I can't believe that I let that happen to you," he pulled back and kissed her. Sokka winced in the background but let it go. Haru brought the water and told Sokka that he was leaving. Sokka waved good-bye and sat down on the bench.

Katara smiled weakly and kissed him back. "You're here now. That's all that matters." She let Aang hold her for a while, and let the beat of his heart comfort her. Sokka gave her the water; she took it and drank it.

"Feel better?" Aang asked. She nodded. "Come on, let's go to bed." He heard a throat clearing and saw Sokka raise an eyebrow. Aang blushed and shook his head, trying to send an "I'm-not-going-to-do-anything" look to him. Sokka relaxed and nodded his head, letting the two young teens go.

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Aang lay on his bed, dressed in a few nightclothes he had bought at the marketplace. He heard a soft knock on the bedroom door, and then looked up to see Katara standing over him. He scooted over on the bed and felt her warmth beside him. He turned towards her, placing an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. She sighed and buried her head into his chest.

"I wanted to be beside you," she said, her voice muffled. Aang smiled. _For once I'm not embarrassed_, he thought, considering that they were in his bed with the lights turned off. He snuggled closer, breathing in the flowery scent her hair held. _Her hair_, he realized, noticing that she had her hair down.

"Your hair," he said. She smiled.

"I thought that you would like it," was her answer. She leaned in until their lips touched, and gave him quick; light kisses, and then settled into a long, deep one. Aang returned the kiss and let her tongue travel into his mouth. Their hands traveled along each other's sides. Aang pulled back reluctantly, remembering the promise they had made to Sokka.

"We should stop before we go too far," he said, happy that it was dark so that she couldn't see his red face. Katara sighed.

"You're right," she said, still holding on to him. He kissed her neck a few times, and then gave her a few more on her lips. He stopped and pulled her even closer, both of them falling into a deep, restful sleep.

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Awwwww… wasn't that just so sweet? I love fluff. And I hate Samaria. That feels so weird to write, considering that she is named after me. Anyways, I hope you guys like the chapter! Please review!


	12. Not So Perfect

Okay, you guys are awesome! I love the reviews you guys write me! Plus, some of them are hilarious! Okay, so much drama in this chapter. And I know I promised that I would leave the Fire Nation out of the story, but I need to use them for Aang and Katara's relationship. You'll see what I mean. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter! Warning: lots of fluff and revenge.

I don't own Avatar or the original characters. I only own Samaria.

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Aang woke up right after sunrise. He groaned and turned over to face Katara. She was sleeping peacefully, her lips curled up into a faint smile and her hair framing her face. Aang took a piece of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, and then lightly kissed her forehead. He sat up and yawned. Looking out the window, his mind tried to process what had happened. _I just can't believe all of that happened in one day_.

He sat up and grabbed a towel and his clothes, wanting to take a quick bath before his training started. He opened up the door and nearly fell over from surprise.

"Sokka, what are you doing up so early?" he asked. Sokka just smirked and leaned against the wall. Aang stepped outside and closed the door.

You haven't seen my sister have you? She's not in her room," Sokka said, knowing full well where his sister was.

"Um, yeah. She's in my room," Aang stuttered out, blushing and sounding nervous. Sokka just stared at him.

"You didn't do anything, did you?" Sokka said. He wanted to laugh at Aang's expression. Aang shook his head vigorously.

"No! I didn't touch her." _Not a complete lie_. He looked at Sokka, his eyes practically begging for him to leave him alone.

"Okay. I believe you." Sokka walked away and yelled some last words: "For now!"

Aang just headed for the private bath rooms.

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Katara opened her eyes and looked around. She looked beside her and noticed that Aang was gone. _He probably went to training_. She walked out of the room and went into her own, closing and locking the door. Using the indoor pump, Katara filled up the basin in her room. She stripped down and slid into the water. She sat there and let the water relax her.

_I can't believe I went through all of that in the time span of 24 hours._ She sighed and washed her hair and body, and then stepping out and water bending herself dry. She wrapped a soft towel around her. Turning to the mirror, she looked at her reflection. _I look better than I have in a while_. Katara grabbed a comb and combed her hair out, almost braiding it back up before deciding against it. _I'll leave it down today_. Smiling, she got dressed. _I'm going to go look for Aang; he should probably be at the training center._

Sure enough, that's where Katara found him. _Wow, he's getting really good_, she thought as Aang made a medium-sized wall. She started to cheer when Aang aimed a rock at a target and was successful. Aang heard her and turned towards her, waving when he saw her. Katara smiled and let him continue on, cheering when he did something well. _I'm so proud of him_.

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"Okay, young student. That's enough for one day," King Bumi said, helping Aang get up from the ground. "You're getting to master level much faster than I thought you would. Maybe soon you will leave to master fire."

Aang laughed. "Thanks, Bumi, nut I know that I'm not nearly as good as you."

"Thank you. Now go and have some fun for the rest of the day," Bumi said, quickly leaving the training center. Aang walked over to Katara.

"Hey! How did you sleep last night?" he asked her. Aang blushed as soon as the words came out of his mouth. _That didn't come out well_. Katara noticed the blush and giggled.

"Calm down, Aang. And I slept very well thank you." She kissed his cheek.

"So what do you want to do today?" Katara asked him. Aang shrugged.

"I don't care. There isn't much to do anyway," he said.

"Do you want to take a walk around the city?" she asked. Aang's face lit up with an idea.

"Do you want to go swimming? The beach is only an hour away." Katara stood up and nodded.

"That's a good idea. Come on, let me go get my swim clothes," she said, leading him to out the center and towards the living quarters. "Wait here," she told him, and then going into her room to change. She came out wearing a thin, blue robe.

"Uhhhh…" Aang said. "That's it?" Katara rolled her eyes.

"No silly. The outfit is underneath," she explained.

"Oh. Well, let's go," he said, grabbing her hand. They walked out of the palace and into the busy streets of Omashu. The benders opened up the gates and the two benders walked out. Katara eyed Appa.

"Maybe we should take him. It would be easier," she suggested. Aang nodded in agreement.

"I wonder why we didn't do that when we first got here." They climbed on Appa and within minutes were on the beach.

They lied on the sand, halfway into the water, taking in the sun and sounds of the waves. Katara got up and took off her robe, and Aang had to take deep breaths at the sight of her. Her bathing suit was blue, the same color as her everyday clothes. It was simple; the bathing suit showed all of her leg, all of her arms, half of her back, and the very tops of her chest. (A/N: just think about a simple one-piece in our world) The sun outlined her in such a way that the edges of her practically glowed. _Damn!_ Aang thought. _She is _fine

Katara felt two eyes staring at her and turned around. She blushed at Aang's agape expression. "How do I look?" she asked. Aang stood up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a kiss.

"Gorgeous," he told her. She laughed and bended water on him.

"Oh, so it's like that?" Aang said, laughing as Katara got hit by a stream of water. He stripped down to his underwear to keep his clothes from getting too wet.

"Stop it!" she screamed, then proceeded to dunk Aang underwater. Next thing she knew she was getting splashed by Aang, who was paying her back for the dunk. The two laughed and played like little kids, happy to be together.

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_They disgust me_, Samaria thought, spying on the two teens. She heard a rustle of bushes behind her and quickly turned around. She gave a sigh of relief when it was only Prince Zuko. "Do you have my money?" he asked her, holding out his hand.

"Fifty golden pieces, just what you wanted." Samaria gave him his money. "Now keep your end of the deal." Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'm only doing this because of family ties. You get what you want, and I get what I want, times two," he said.

"Well, hurry up and carry out your plan. They should be leaving soon," Samaria said. Zuko slowly walked away. "Don't worry; I will."

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Aang and Katara lay on the beach, worn out from their playtime. Aang took Katara's hand. _Today was such a good day_, he thought, scooting closer to her. Katara glanced at him and smiled. "I had a really good day today," she said. "Thanks." _I am so glad that we are on good terms with each other_.

"You're welcome. Sometimes we just needed to get away and spend some time with each other," Aang said. Katara nodded in agreement. She leaned over him and gave him a soft kiss, her lips still wet. She looked down at Aang who looked just as happy as she was.

"You taste like salt," Aang whispered. Katara laughed at this statement.

"So do you," she said lying down next to him. Aang pulled her towards him and kissed her again, letting go all of his feelings for her come out. Katara sighed and opened her mouth to allow Aang's tongue in. She touched the back of his head and traced his tattoo, and shivered when Aang touched her rear. The two quickly pulled apart when they heard bush ruffle, but let it go when things got quiet again. They started to kiss again until Katara noticed smoke coming from the nearby forest.

"Aang? Aang!" she frantically said, trying to push the boy away form her. Aang only replied with more kisses. "Aang! Come on! I see smoke!" This got Aang's attention.

"What? I don't see anything," he said. Katara gave a quick look back at the place where she saw the smoke. _I could have sworn there was smoke_, she thought.

"Let's go, Aang. I don't feel safe," she said, drying herself off and dressing in her robe.

"Oh no," Aang said in a hoarse whisper. He pointed to the distance. Katara now noticed a small ship in the distance. _Zuko_.

"There's Appa," Aang said. They ran towards the bison but were blocked by several Fire Nation soldiers. Aang and Katara quickly got into position, getting ready for a fight. Fireballs were thrown towards them from all speeds and from all angles. Aang regretted that he hadn't brought his staff. Katara and Aang defended their selves with water, and in Aang's case, air, and were quickly moving closer to Appa. They boarded the bison, still fighting off the soldiers. Suddenly a smoke bomb went off, and the area was surrounded by thick, dark clouds off smoke. Aang felt a pair of soft hands wrestle with him, and was quickly pinned down.

"LET ME GO!" he hollered, but his demand was quickly followed by a familiar voice.

"No. This is for the better." She held him down even more.

Katara wasn't doing much better. She felt a pair of strong, callused hands tie her hands and legs up. "AANG! AANG! HELP ME!" she screamed as she was carried away.

"I'M TRYING," he said, trying to break free of the girl's grip. "LET ME GO!" he roared, shaking violently from side to side. The girl's grasp on him only tightened. The smoke cleared a little bit, and he could see Katara getting carried off towards the ship. He took this moment to look to see who the person was who was holding him. There were no words to describe how Aang felt when he looked up into the cruel eyes that belonged to no other than Samaria.

"Samaria? Why? What? How come?" he struggled to find the words he wanted. He looked through blurry tears at Katara, who was still struggling under the fire bender's hold. _Zuko_, Aang realized, letting hot tears fall down his cheek.

"Let me go!" he heard her yell.

"Please, let me go!" he said, still fighting to be free.

"No. This is what you get for going back to that wannabe. I told you that I would be back." Samaria laughed wickedly.

Aang finally settled down, but only because Katara and the soldiers were out of sight. He erupted into sobs as Samaria freed him. He pushed her off of Appa and climbed on his head. Before Aang told Appa to take off, he looked down at Samaria. She was looking back up at him with innocent eyes. _Who knew a person would sink that low_. "Before I go, why did you do it? And how do you know Prince Zuko?"

Samaria gave him her trademark smirk. "To the first question, I wanted to get you away from her. She didn't treat you right and I wanted her gone so that we could be together." Aang shook his head.

"I hate you. You aren't the least bit nice to others. That was extremely low of you to do," Aang said, not being able to come up with anything else better to say. Samaria only sighed.

"It doesn't matter. Either way you have fallen into a trap. And that brings me to your second question. I can't tell you how I know him." She left the conversation like that and walked back into the forest.

_She can't tell me?_ He thought, giving Appa the "yip, yip!" he needed to fly. _Whatever, it doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that I tell Sokka and we find Katara. _He landed and ran up the long, pathway to Omashu. _I need her_.

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Deep breath. Wow, that was intense. Who knew that Samaria would sink to that level. I did. And yes, you will find out how Samaria knows Prince Zuko. So review please! Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	13. Nobody Deserves Things Like This

You guys are the best! I got about thirteen reviews for one chapter! Hugs and kisses and cookies to everyone. Thirteen is my favorite number, so in honor of that, this thirteenth chapter will be the best yet! Anyways, one of you wanted to know what 'she is _fine_' means. It means that she is a hottie, drop-dead gorgeous, stunning- need I say more? On another topic, this chapter is going to be long. I probably have told you that before on other chapters, but this one is really long- it covers about two weeks, more or less. Warning: There is a lot of regrets, second-thoughts, hate, lies, suspicion, and of course, a rescue. And to put to use of the many Zutara fanfics I have been reading (Kataang fans throw various items and yells "hypocrite!"), I am taking inspiration. And one more thing: Samaria is not gone just yet, even though she won't really be in this chapter. So on with the story; sit back, relax, and enjoy!

I don't own Avatar: TLA.

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"Stop crying, Aang. Tell me what's going on. Tell me again what happened," Sokka said, not knowing what to make of the bald pre-teen beside him. Aang was cold, wet, hungry, and angry. Sokka couldn't help but notice that he was also in pain.

"Okay. Katara and I were on the beach; we were having a lot of fun," he started. Sokka shot Aang a look. Aang ignored him and continued.

"Well, suddenly she saw smoke, but when I looked around I didn't see anything. But then I saw Zuko's ship in the distance, so we headed to Appa. Then there were Fire Nation soldiers, smoke, water, air, and yelling. I really don't want to recap that part." Aang looked up at Sokka. _He wants to know what the big deal is. Um, hasn't he noticed that his sister isn't with me?_

"Okay, keep going. I'm still not understanding why you are so upset about a fight," Sokka said, trying to urge the information out of Aang.

"Well, we fought them off enough to get to Appa, but when we were about to take off, a smoke bomb went off." Aang took a deep breath and wiped a few tears away before telling the worst part.

"The smoke was so thick; I couldn't even see Appa's fur. The worst part though was that we suddenly got wrestled- I by Samaria and Katara by Zuko. They won," Aang choked out, trying really hard not to cry. _I can't cry just yet; I still need to tell Sokka and Bumi and save Katara_. Sokka gave him a serious look.

"Samaria was in on this? How does she even know Zuko?" Sokka asked in a disbelieving tone.

Aang only shrugged. "Yeah, she was and she does, but I don't know how. Anyways, Katara was kidnapped by Zuko. Samaria wouldn't let me go until the group was out of sight. After they were gone, I asked Samaria why she did this, and she said that I deserved it, please don't ask anymore about it." Sokka nodded, _I can understand why_.

"Go on."

"She told me that she couldn't tell me how she knew him," Aang finished. He couldn't even cry anymore; he was too upset. _I can't believe that I just gave up like that_. For some reason, his most important worry was 'how am I going to rescue Katara?', but 'how can I just let her get captured?'

"Sokka, how could I just let her go like that? How come I was unsuccessful this time?" Aang moaned, trying hard not to break down all over again. Sokka sat beside the monk.

"Aang, sometimes crap happens. It wasn't your fault; how were you supposed to know that they would fight like that? Based on what you tell me, it was a pretty hard fight. But you can't just sit here and cry; you need to get your act together and go save my sister. Trust me; she is probably depending on you." Sokka said all of that like it was a pep talk. Aang looked up at Sokka with hopeful gray eyes. _I hope he's right. I'll go and save Katara. But first, I need to talk to Bumi._

"I got to go tell King Bumi something. Wait here." Sokka smiled as he watched Aang scamper in the direction of Bumi's living quarters. He came back within 15 minutes with his trademark grin. "Come on, Sokka. Let's go." The two boys went to their rooms and packed some clothes and supplies, and the kitchen staff gave them enough food to last for at least a week. They quietly walked through the streets, being careful not to be too loud. Nearing the gate, they recognized a small figure. _Samaria_. The two tried to go unseen, but were unsuccessful.

Samaria walked to them with an innocent look on her face. _I'm not falling for her tricks ever again_, Aang thought with disgust and hatred. "What do you want?" Aang asked, not bothering to hide his hostility. Samaria looked at him, but with a new expression. This one mirrored Aang's, but it was ten times worse.

"I just wanted to say that you are going to get in some _serious_ trouble." She stopped to laugh at them. _Evil!_ they both thought.

"I don't think that's funny," Aang said in a desperate attempt to defend himself. Sokka nodded. Samaria looked between them.

"Well good luck," she said, waving to them as she walked away. Sokka and Aang watched her go.

"Is she a witch?" Sokka wanted to know. Aang shrugged and started for the gate. Sokka followed, and signaled the benders to open the gate. Soon the two companions were loading up Appa.

"Is everything ready?" Sokka asked, tying up their last supply bag. Aang nodded. "You okay?" Sokka asked, genuinely worried for his friend. Aang was determined, though. _I'm going to get her, and somebody might get hurt in the process_.

They climbed on him and with the infamous "yip, yip!" Appa was flying through the skies. "Okay, where would they be headed?" Aang asked. Sokka seriously thought about that question.

"I don't know; Fire Nation maybe? I mean, every time Zuko captured us, it was always 'head a course the Fire Nation'."

Aang stared at him. _How'd he come up with that?_ Sokka noticed his stare.

"Stop looking at me like that. Now tell me what direction the FN is," Sokka said, thinking of a quick abbreviation for the Fire Nation. Aang pointed west.

"From what I remember, that way," he said, guiding Appa west. _I'm coming for ya, Katara; hold on tight. _

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"Let go of me!" Katara demanded. He scoffed at her and literally threw her in the prison cell. _I can't let him know that I'm scared_, she thought as his hands started to glow a faint red.

"Look scum, Samaria basically sold you to me, and I intend to keep you so that I can lure the Avatar (A/N: hmmm… I wonder where I heard that from. I wonder…)." Katara inwardly shivered as Zuko looked her up and down. "And maybe for a little more." He had a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he walked out of the cell and told the guard to keep a close watch on her.

_I don't like that look in his eyes_, she thought. _He looks like he wants something_. Katara tried not to cry as she tried not to think about what that something was. She picked herself up from the floor and sat down on the thin mattress, massaging her sore limbs. _He didn't have to throw me in here_, she thought bitterly. She turned to the guard, who was sleeping. Sighing, she lied down, ignoring her hunger and trying to think good thoughts. Like Aang. _Aang. He tried so hard to protect me. I'll have to thank him. He's always there when I need him_. She closed her eyes to shut out tears and fell into a deep sleep.

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Zuko was in the captain's tower, telling the captain to head towards the Fire Nation. (A/N: Sokka was right; I swear, that boy is a genius in disguise.) "It will be so much easier if I already have him when I'm near the Fire Nation, and would be harder for him to escape." Zuko absolutely _hated_ to think about all of those times that the Avatar had escaped him. _Never again_. The sound of someone walking in the room made him snap out of his thoughts. Zuko turned around to his uncle Iroh.

"Zuko, that was a very smart decision," he commented, obviously hearing Zuko's plan. Iroh looked at Zuko. "And I hope you are treating that girl you captured nicely," he added. Zuko could've sworn that he saw his uncle wink at him. Zuko blushed crimson, both from embarrassment and anger.

"Uncle! Don't start that mess with me again! I am not going to focus on girls; I need to focus on capturing the Avatar!" Zuko yelled. He hated when his Uncle bugged him about girls, and marriage, and the like.

Iroh sighed. "Fine, I'll leave you alone," he said as Zuko stomped away. Zuko was going to the deck to practice his fire bending. Iroh looked after him and sighed, _he needs a girl to love. Maybe then he'll loosen up._ Iroh walked towards the kitchen. He wanted to meet the prisoner, and he was pretty sure that she was hungry.

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Katara woke up to the sound of someone approaching. She sat up and set up her defenses, ready to fight anyone that might hurt her. Instead she saw a short, old man stand in front of her, and she saw the tray of food he had in his hand. "H-h-hi," she stuttered out, not sure what to expect form him. The man opened up her cell and set the tray down on the small table, then pulled up a small stool beside the bed.

"I'm Iroh, Zuko's uncle," he introduced himself, holding her hand out for her to shake. Katara absentmindedly shook his hand. _Iroh? The great general Iroh?_ Katara looked at him with awe. Iroh let go of her hand and chuckled.

"Hi," she said again. "General Iroh, it's nice to meet you. And you're Zuko's uncle?" Katara asked.

Iroh smiled and answered her questions, "Nice to meet you, too; yes, I am Zuko's uncle; and please call me Iroh." He watched as Katara gave him a funny look.

_Why would this nice man want to be Zuko's uncle?_ she almost slapped herself for being so stupid. _But it's not like someone can choose their uncle._ She smiled and looked over at the tray of food hungrily. _That smells so good_.

"Yes, that's for you," Iroh said, noticing her looking at the food. Katara blushed out of the embarrassment of getting caught, but that didn't stop her from pulling another stool up to the table. _Thank goodness that he brought me a fork_. She picked it up and started to eat. "Thank you," she said in-between bites, remembering her manners. Iroh smiled and got up. He turned around before he left and said, "You know, this is no place for a lady. How would you like it if you stayed in one of the guest rooms?" Katara instantly perked up at this question.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked, not quite believing him. Iroh simply nodded.

"Yes, I do."

_I wonder if-_

"Will Zuko care if I'm not in a cell?" Katara questioned. _I know that Zuko wouldn't be very happy if he found out that I was staying in a guest room_. Iroh sighed, knowing that she was right.

"Don't worry about him; I'll take care of everything. Katara smiled, slightly reassured, before going back to her meal.

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SHE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE'? SHE IS A PRISONER, AND A PRISON CELL IS WHERE SHE BELONGS!" Obviously, Zuko wasn't happy with the idea of Katara staying in a guest room. Iroh, however, had managed to stay calm throughout his nephew's argument.

"Zuko, she may be a prisoner, but she is also a young woman," Iroh explained. Zuko grunted. "And she deserves a decent place to stay, because of that reason alone." He got up and stood over the teenager. "Besides, that cell is not a good place for anybody." HE walked out of the room. Zuko remained and pouted. _But why does the room have to be next to mine?_

_Because Prince Zuko_, a voice whispered. It sounded faintly like his uncle's. _The crew hasn't seen a woman in months; they might try to do something. And things like that shouldn't happen._

Grumbling, he got up and made his way to his bed. He quickly fell into a restless sleep.

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"Aang, are you sure that we are going the right way?" Sokka asked, looking over at the boy. He was busy looking over the map.

"I'm positive." Aang rolled up the map and tucked it away safely in one of their bags. He lay down on his back and looked up at the blue sky. _So much like her eyes_, he thought. _I miss her so much. She's with that bastard named Zuko and I don't want to imagine what he might do to her. _He stopped to take in some air, realizing just how much Zuko really could do to her. _Oh God, NO! I hope not!_

"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked him, seeing that he was gasping for breath. Aang shook his head no.

"I'm not. Sokka," he stopped for a moment. _I can't chicken out on this question_. He looked over at his friend. Sokka was waiting. _I'll just put this the easy way_: "Do you think that Zuko will…um… try anything?" _Damn it_, he thought as he felt his face heat up. Obviously Sokka's face was doing the same thing, because he turned around as soon as Aang asked that question.

"I hope not," Sokka answered. _What does he mean by 'I hope not'?_

"What? You _hope_ not? How come not, 'I know he won't'" Aang asked, even though he knew that Sokka was probably right.

"Aang, I'm so sorry, but Zuko is the type of person who will sink to any level to weaken you. If that means that he will hurt Katara, then he will- gladly." Sokka had to stop and think about what he had just told Aang, because he didn't realize that his words had so much truth to them.

"Oh my God," they both whispered, both thinking the same thing. _I'm not going to let that happen to her_.

"Look Aang, I'm sure-

Aang shook his head. "No. Don't even say 'I'm sure.' _Nothing_ will happen to Katara. I'm not going to let that pervert touch her." Sokka gaped at him, surprised at his tone of voice. The boy suddenly appeared several years older then he was. Sokka got up as Aang took the reigns, and urged Appa to go at a faster pace.

_I'm coming for you._

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Iroh led Katara to one of the guest rooms. _Why does my room have to be across the hall from Zuko's?_ she thought, wondering the same thing Zuko did. "Here it is," Iroh said, opening the room's door. Katara gasped when she saw the room. _Zuko has it laid. _The room was gorgeous, lots of silk and velvet and pretty banners. The furniture was made from the sturdiest and prettiest wood; the area rug was made from genuine suede; she even had a private bathroom. The colors were amazing: deep burgundies, bright reds; there was even a hint of fiery orange here and there. But Katara couldn't help herself: the first thing she touched in the room was the bed. Iroh chuckled.

"It's the best guest room we have. Enjoy yourself. And if you need anything, Zuko would be more than happy to get it for you," he told her. Katara buried her head in one of the velvet pillows, and Iroh took it as his cue to leave. She stayed where she was for a few minutes, and then decided to check out her bathroom.

She had to catch her breath when she saw how elaborate it was. The bathtub was humongous; at least four of her could fit easily into it. She had a vanity set and there was even a complete dressing room off to the side. She couldn't even believe that there was running water; she didn't have to haul in heavy buckets full of bathing water. _It's like this ship was made for a girl, but what would a girl be doing on this ship?_ She didn't hesitate to _not_ care a moment longer. Katara slowly turned the knob that was labeled "hot" and another that was labeled "cold." She giggled softly when the tub started to fill up with warm water. _I've never seen anything like it!_ When the tub was three-quarters full, she turned the water off and stripped down. _This feels so good!_ she thought as she slid in. The water calmed her; it made her forget her thoughts. She slid down until her chin was level with the surface, enjoying the warmth and relaxation the water gave her. She closed her eyes and sighed. While it was nice that Iroh had gone out of his way to do this for her, and that this room and bathroom was the best she ever had, _I still want my Aang back._ She sat back up and reached for the bar of soap._ And Sokka, too, I miss his idiotic ways._ She took a washcloth from a basket and lathered it up. Smoothing the soapy rag over her body, she softly cried.

_I wonder when I'll ever be back with them_.

-------------

Zuko finally decided to get up. _I need some fresh air_. He got up and opened his door, rolling his eyes when he saw the guest room door closed. He stared at it with hate when he thought about who was occupying it. A devilish grin swept across his face. Making sure no one was around; he stepped across the narrow hallway and quietly opened up her door. Quickly shutting it and locking the door, he noticed a pile of blue clothes on the floor. He tiptoed over to the door and pressed his ear against it. He could here sniffling and the tub draining. _Stupid Zula; when she visited this ship they went all out for her, even if her stay was only for three days. Lucky Katara gets my spoiled sister's room_. He shook off his thoughts and heard faint footsteps against the door. He tried as best as he could to either get out of there or hide, but unfortunately the door opened at that second. His heart rate sped up at the site of her. Her only clothes was a short towel wrapped around her body, and it was just barely covering her butt. Her long, wavy hair was damp and shiny, and reached down to her ample chest. _Damn, girl is the _bomb!

Katara hated his stare. _And why the hell is he in my room_. She silently cursed when his gaze didn't leave her. _I hate the way this situation probably looks._ He was there in her room, hardly three feet away from her. All she had on was a towel. "Get out my room," she demanded, her voice dripping with venom. _He better not touch me_.

Zuko stepped closer to her. Katara moved back towards her clothes. She glanced behind her; her eyes widened with fright when she realized that she was moving towards her bed. "Don't touch me," she ordered. Zuko only shook his head.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that. You see, if I hurt you, the Avatar's defenses will weaken because he cares about you. And if his defenses go down, it will be so much easier to capture him and get my honor back." Zuko let an evil smile go across his face. "Plus, you are not a bad catch."

Katara tried her best to remain strong as he inched closer to her. "Don't touch me!"

-------------

"Aang, are we there yet?" Sokka complained for the seventeenth time. Aang ignored him and continued to search the water. _We should be getting closer; he can only get so far_.

"Aang? Did you hear me?" Suddenly the monk got up.

_I hope that that is what I think it is_. "Yes! We found him!" Aang shouted. Sokka got up and looked down to where Aang was oh-so-excitedly pointing. Completely out of character for him, Sokka started to jump up and down, too. _We found her_. Aang got serious.

"We need a plan," Aang said, but once again he was blown away by Sokka's genius.

"Look, Aang, since its dusk, those lazy guards are most likely at dinner, including Zuko, so it might be a little easier to rescue Katara." Sokka leaned back, obviously proud that he had thought of such a thing. _I can't help but realize that there is always that 'might capture Katara' part_. Aang got angry with himself. _NO! There is not going to be a 'might capture Katara' part. We are going to capture her, and that's final!_

He guided Appa a little bit lower, and he and Sokka jumped off of him when the bison was low enough. They landed with a soft thud on the metal deck. Aang looked around. _Sokka was right; there is no one here_. He even heard the faint laughter coming from below. "How easy can these rescues slash captures get?" Sokka said, referring to their last "capture" with that amateur captain.

"Let's try not to push our luck," Aang said, slowly tiptoeing over to the stairwell. Sokka quickly followed him, being careful not to make sounds.

-------------

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Katara screamed, trying to push Zuko away from her. She still had the towel on, but Zuko was still was kissing her, and Katara did _not_ like him doing that. She felt a dangerous heat come from him all of a sudden, and he pulled away to look into her oceanic eyes.

"Look, be still, or face the consequences." He watched with a black heart as she exploded into deep sobs.

"Please no," she pleaded.

"Shut up."

""Please no."

"Shut up!" He got up from on top of her.

"I'll be back later," he said, leaving the room. Katara finally broke out into wails. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see. _I feel so ashamed!_ She couldn't believe that Zuko would stoop that low, just to get back his precious honor. Katara couldn't have hated- no _loathed_- him any more than she did then. She got up, shaking and still crying, and put her clothes on. As soon as her pants were on she collapsed onto the floor, still sobbing. _Why?_

-------------

Aang and Sokka crept through the hallways, thankful that they hadn't gotten caught. The laughter had died down, so the two knew that they were far away from most people. As they walked, Sokka could have sworn that he heard crying. Aang had stopped and had a look on his face that told the warrior that he was concentrating on something, so Sokka knew that he head the crying, too.

Aang walked down the dead-end hallway and pressed his ear onto the last door. Aang signaled to Sokka, telling him to get ready to fight. Suddenly Aang barged in, but suddenly stopped when he saw Katara. The girl looked up and smiled weakly at them, and motioned for Sokka to close and lock the door. Aang was immediately on her side, comforting her, even though he didn't have a clue to why she was crying. Soothing sounds came from him, and Katara buried into his embrace, clutching him like he was her only hope. (A/N: hahaha) Katara slowly quieted down. She was still in his arms. "What happened?" he asked her. Katara shook her head.

"I don't think that I'm ready to tell you," she replied. Aang looked up at Sokka with worry. _He better not have_, Aang thought. But Sokka was already gone. Aang stood up, helping Katara stand, too. She was still shaky, but she was strong enough to run and fight if she had to. The couple made their way to the deck, and instantly stopped at the sight before them.

Sokka and Zuko were surrounded by guards. Sokka looked horrible, but Zuko looked even worse. "IF YOU EVER…"

Sokka gave him a punch while Zuko tried to fight back.

"…TOUCH MY SISTER…"

Zuko sent a fireball towards Sokka, but he dodged it and kicked Zuko where it hurts. Aang cringed.

"…AGAIN…"

Zuko and Sokka wrestled each other to the ground and were a blur of fists, kicks, and fire.

"I SWEAR THAT YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A REBEL KILLING YOU!"

Several more fireballs were sent towards Sokka, but only one touched him, and that was only his hair.

"I WILL DO IT MYSELF!" Sokka sent as many blows to Zuko as he could, while trying to avoid fireballs coming from every direction. Aang handed Katara the bison whistle and told her to call him, and joined Sokka in the fight.

While Sokka handled Zuko, Aang made sure to take care of the many soldiers who were trying to kill him. He blasted some overboard with air, froze others with water, and knocked the remaining few unconscious. He warded off a few more fire benders while Appa appeared in the sky and landing on the ship. "Sokka! Come on! Hurry!" He said as he and Katara climbed onto Appa. Sokka gave Zuko one last punch before taking off for the bison. He told Aang to take off as soon as he was on Appa, and even gave Zuko the finger as the ship became nothing but a miniscule speck below them. Aang guided Appa east and motioned for Sokka to take the reigns. He sat down beside Katara and took her hand. She looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. _Why is she so upset?_

Everyone fell silent. Katara had brought her knees to her chest and had her arms wrapped around herself. Aang studied her; more curious than ever as to why her behavior was so odd.

"Where do you guys want to land? Appa is tired and it is getting dark." Sokka looked at his sister, who was acting strange. She looked… _defeated_. Aang crawled over to Sokka. I think that there is a nearby island that belongs to the Earth Kingdom.

"There is an Earth Kingdom island this far out?" Sokka asked. Aang nodded.

"Yes, and it should be within ten miles. I remember I had stopped there once or twice on business." Aang told him. Sokka nodded and urged Appa forwards.

"Are we going the right way?" he asked.

"We are. You'll see the island soon; it shouldn't take long to get there." Aang went back to Katara, but found her sleeping peacefully. _I hope nothing too bad happened,_ he thought, brushing a piece of her hair away. He saw a frown on her face and it unsettled him to no end.

"Aang, there's land," Sokka said, guiding Appa down towards the island. Aang left Katara's side and gazed down.

"There's a good place," he suggested, pointing to a place on the beach. Appa crashed down on the sand, and Aang hopped down from the bison.

-------------

Katara woke up in her sleeping bag. _Sleeping bag_? She quickly sat up and looked around. She saw a small campfire still going and two other sleeping forms. She quickly remembered her horrifying experience on the ship and her rescue. Katara quietly got up and strolled down the beach. She picked a spot a little ways from camp and sat down. She absentmindedly touched her necklace while she looked out over the ocean, admiring its beauty under the night sky. As she remembered what Zuko had tried to do to her, she fought back tears, her emotions washing over her.

_I have never felt more ashamed, disrespected, ugly, and defeated than now_. Katara felt hot tears run down her cheeks. She started shaking. Finally letting go, she had an emotional breakdown: screaming, shaking, sobbing, water bending. She felt a familiar pair of arms encircle her and comfort her. "Aang. Aang! Aang." She turned herself towards him, staining his clothes with her tears.

"Katara, what happened?" he asked her in a hushed voice.

"How did you find me?" she asked, not wanting to tell him why she was acting the way she was.

"I followed your footprints. Tell me what happened," he said, still hugging her.

"I can't," she coughed out. _I can't tell him_. She felt her hand get an encouraging squeeze. Looking up into his face, she hated to see his eyes filled with such concern for her. She gulped in air, preparing herself.

"Zuko… he… he… tried to…. rape me," she whispered. Aang pulled back with alarm twenty times over.

"HE WHAT?" he asked. _My worst suspicions were true. How could I let this happen to her?_

Katara cried harder. She didn't know how to express her feelings. She didn't want to cry anymore, but crying seemed to be the only thing that helped. She snuggled back into Aang's embrace. He pulled her closer and planted gentle kisses on her head.

"Oh Katara, I'm so sorry." _How could I let that bastard harm her?_

"Please, don't say that you're sorry. This isn't your fault; it's mine. I shouldn't have let him touch me." This statement made Aang push Katara away. He looked deeply into her eyes.

"NO. Katara, this is _not_ your fault _at all_. You are a very reputable young lady, and deserve to be treated that way. Zuko had absolutely no right touching you. It is not your fault," Aang told her. His voice was firm, strong, and steady; Katara was strangely comforted by it. She nodded, trying her best to convince herself that Aang was right.

_It was not my fault. I did not deserve that. It was not my fault. I did not deserve it_. She repeated this mantra over and over again in her mind.

"Say it," Aang demanded. Katara took a deep breath.

"Say it."

Katara nodded and closed her eyes. "It was not my fault. I did not deserve it," she whispered.

"Louder," Aang ordered.

"It was not my fault. I did not deserve it." She said it this time in a normal voice.

"Louder." He looked at his girlfriend, who was struggling with her confidence. _I hate to see her like this._

_I can't let Zuko control me_.

"It was not my fault. I did not deserve it," she said in a slightly louder voice.

"Yell it," Aang requested.

"IT WAS NOT MY FAULT! I DID NOT DESERVE IT!" She looked over at Aang, who was beaming. He scooted over to her and held her. She took deep breaths and hugged him back.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome. I love you" Aang stood up and helped her up. He looked into her blue eyes and gave her a soft kiss.

"I love you, too, Aang. Thank you." Aang smiled.

"Come on. Let's go back to camp and get some rest." They walked off towards camp. Katara was still unstable, but at least Aang had comforted her and told her that it wasn't her fault.

Aang's head was still reeling from his conversation with Katara. _I can't believe that dirt bag would touch her._

Both of them lay down on their bags, and both of them were thinking the same thing:

_It's not over yet._

-------------

Wow, that chapter wasn't supposed to go that way. Even I'm surprised with the story. Review please, I'll appreciate it!

Oh, and did anyone see that you Disney Channel movie? It's called _High School Musical_. It was really good and I want the soundtrack.


	14. Love & Heartbreak

Wazzup y'all? I've been so happy lately, and I don't know why. Anyhoo, chill out man. Do you really think that I'm going to let Zuko rape Katara? I already know that Zuko wouldn't do something like that. So now that we got that settled, here is your next chapter! It starts out a little slow, but it gets good later on. Warning: this chapter has a little bit of a "me" in it, especially with another OC. Don't be surprised if the dialogue becomes a little bit more modern, but it will still be "Avatar".

------------

_Katara was surrounded by walls of fire; it was on her, in her, and around her. It was even blazing inside of her. _It's too hot_, she thought. Katara tried to walk through it, but when she did it felt seven times worse. Suddenly she saw a pair of golden eyes blink at her and felt a pair of burning hands travel up and down her body._

"_Stop!" she screamed, struggling against the hands' grip. The heat became hotter._

"_Let me go!" she yelled. Katara gasped in pain as a fiery slap came across her face._

"_Leave me alone!" she cried out. She fought against the grasp. She cried out as the walls became thicker and higher and the eyes turned to miniature furnaces. _

"_Be still or face the consequences!" a harsh voice ordered. Katara screamed and cried, but to no prevail._

"_Help me!" she shouted. As she fought she heard a soft voice._

"_Katara?" it said._

"_Please help me!" Katara cried._

"_Katara!" it said again. She sensed worry in the voice._

"_Katara!"_

-------------

Katara sat up, gasping for breath and squinting in the morning sunlight. Sokka and Aang were sitting beside her; Sokka had a bowl of water and Aang was dabbing her head with a cool, wet rag. Her brother handed her some water.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked her. She gulped the water down and shook her head.

"I had a bad dream," she whispered.

"No kidding," Sokka replied. "You really had us worried there." Aang nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aang was looking at her, and his expression clearly showed his worry and concern.

"No, not really," she answered. Sokka and Aang nodded their heads; they had a pretty good idea what her dream was about. Katara got up and rolled her sleeping bag up. _I just want to forget all of this mess and move on._ She fought back tears and reached into a bag, pulling out a small apple. She felt used and embarrassed with her situation.

"So, um, there is a village nearby. Do you guys want to see if we can stay there for a few days?" Aang said, trying to break the silence. Katara smiled weakly. _He is so sweet to try to take the attention off of me._

"That's great, Aang. How's that plan with you, Sokka?" she responded. Aang smiled at her, happy that she was at least speaking.

"It's fine," Sokka said. "Help me pack things up." Aang and Katara got up and helped him.

"Is that everything?" Aang asked when they were loading things onto Appa. Sokka nodded. The three climbed aboard Appa, and with the usual "yip-yip!" the bison was flying.

"How far is this village?" Sokka asked.

"A few more minutes," was his answer. Sure enough, they were on land again, and were looking for a place to stay for the night.

-------------

"That will be two silver pieces per room," the counter girl told the three. Aang dug in his bag and gave her the money and took the keys from her.

"This is yours," he said, handing a room key. _I don't really want to be left alone_. Her uneasiness must have shown on her face, because Aang had entangled his hand in hers.

"You okay?" he asked. Katara took a deep breath.

"I'll be fine," she told him. Aang looked doubtful, but nodded.

They walked upstairs and went down the hall. Since the boys' room came first, Sokka took their bags into their room while Aang led Katara to hers. He opened the door and helped Katara settle in. She sat on her bed and looked out the window, tracing the outline of the design on her necklace. Aang stood a little bit away and watched her. _She isn't herself_. Aang saw the misery, depression, and decline in her upbeat personality that her experience resulted in.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She turned to him and smiled. For a moment she had some of her old self back. It was gone as quickly as it came. Aang kissed her gently. She sighed and settled into his loving embrace. "Please talk to me." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, urging her on.

Katara looked down to the ground. "I don't know what to do anymore," she choked out, not noticing the tears that fell. "He took advantage of me, and I've never felt so mixed up before. It's awful" She sobbed harder, clinging to Aang for support.

Aang watched warily as the water bender clutched him and cried. He hated to see her like this, all confused and hurt. "I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say to comfort her.

"Just be here," was her answer. They sat there for a while; Aang comforting her with kisses, words, and his embrace, Katara allowing herself to take the relief from him. Soon her cries subsided. They sat there looking at the moon. Aang heard smooth, even breathing come form Katara and knew that she was asleep. He tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight.

"I love you, Katara."

He tiptoed towards the door.

"I love you, too. Thank you," she mumbled in her sleep. Aang smiled at her sleeping form. She finally calm and even wore a faint smile on her face.

"You're welcome." He walked out the door and closed it behind him. When he reached his room he found Sokka still awake.

"Have fun?" he teased, smirking. Aang shook his head.

"Zuko messed her up really badly," he said. Sokka sighed and looked over at the monk.

"Aang, think about it. What if your arch-enemy tried to rape you? Do you think you'll be still your normal self?" Sokka asked.

"No. You're right," Aang replied, shaking his head. "But will she ever be herself again?" he asked. _I want Katara back._ Unfortunately, the look on Sokka's face was anything but hopeful.

"Maybe she will; maybe she won't." Aang stared at Sokka for a minute before turning off the lights.

Lying down on his bed, he thought about what Sokka had said. _Maybe she will; maybe she won't_. That simple statement upset Aang to no end. He knew for a fact that she was scarred, and would take a long time to heal. _I'm going to help her anyway that I can_, he resolved. Aang turned over and fell into a deep sleep.

-------------

Aang woke up at dawn. After yawing and stretching, he got up and washed his face. Realizing that both Sokka and Katara would want something to eat other that fruit, he decided to go the market. Aang slipped his shoes on, grabbed a few coins and headed out the door. Once he reached outside he took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and looked around. _This place hasn't changed a bit_, he thought. It hadn't, except the forest was a bit thicker and there were a few more houses. He walked towards the village market, ignoring the stares he got from the people. Once there, Aang walked through the aisles, eyeing the clothes, food, and toys the vendors were selling. Most of the stalls weren't open, but there were still a fair number of things to choose from. Aang stopped at a vendor that was selling some sort of flat bread. It smelled really good to Aang, and the vendor was eating some with syrup and butter.

"That looks really good; what is it?" The clerk looked up at Aang with a slight annoyed- amused look on his face.

"They're called pancakes; it's an Earth Kingdom treat." He explained. Aang gave him a strange look. _Then how come I never heard of them? King Bumi is a king, so that means that he probably has access to things like pancakes_. The clerk noticed Aang's bewilderment and laughed.

"You can only get them on this end of the Earth Kingdom. Where are you from?"

"My two friends and I are traveling from Omashu," Aang answered. The clerk nodded.

"That explains a lot. Do you want a sample?" the clerk handed him a piece of the bread, but Aang wasn't paying very much attention to the salesman; he was eyeing those delicious pancakes. Aang saw that the man was handing him a portion of the bread, and he took it and wolfed it down.

"I'll take three," he said in between bites. The salesman laughed again.

"Trust me; you can't have only one each; you need at least two."

"Then give me six." The man nodded and poured some liquid dough onto a griddle as an older man walked towards the stall. The older man noticed Aang and looked at him with curiosity.

"The Avatar?" he said. Aang looked at him with a 'yeah, so?' look on his face. He nodded.

"I can't believe this! It's been so long!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down. Aang watched him with amusement. _How could such an old man be so energetic?_ He thought, but decided to take it back. _Technically, people could say the same thing about me._ The clerk flipped a few pancakes over and looked over at the guy.

"Gramps, you know this guy?" he asked, obviously confused. But Aang was scanning him. _He looks kind of familiar._

The old man nodded. "I used to play with him when he visited. He was always full of mischief. His name was…Aang!" He smiled proudly at himself. Aang was still wondering. He looked back and forth between the two. The older guy looked a little bit familiar, but the younger looked more like someone he knew.

Aang rocked back and forth on his heel, thinking. _I used to visit this place all the time, and someone used to look exactly like that boy right there._ "Are you Kristof?" he asked. Aang knew he was correct when the man jumped up and down excitedly. He smiled and hugged his friend.

"How are things? I haven't seen you in years!" Aang said. "And this is your grandson?"

"Things are great, thanks! It's great to see you, too, and yes, that is my grandson." He answered each of Aang's questions one by one.

"Nice to meet you." Aang introduced himself, giving the cook his hand. He shook it and handed Aang his food. Aang paid him.

"I'm Talon." (A/N: does that name sound familiar to anyone?) The three guys stood there staring at each other. Talon finally spoke up. "So, who are your friends?"

His grandfather chuckled. "Don't mind Talon. There aren't many kids around his age, so he's always trying to meet other people." Talon shrugged.

"Yeah, I do. Would you like to meet them?" Aang offered. He too always liked to meet others. _Plus, if he is anything like his grandfather, we will have so much fun._ Talon eagerly stood up and followed Aang back to the hotel.

-------------

Katara woke up to a soft knock on the door. "Come in," she said, sitting up in the bed. Aang walked in with Katara's share of pancakes.

"I got you something to eat," he said, handing her a plate of pancakes. She stared at them for a moment.

"They look and smell really good, but what are they?" she asked. He laughed.

"They're called pancakes, and they can only be found in this part of the Earth Kingdom. Try them." He cut a pancake into a few pieces and poured the syrup on them. She took the fork that he had handed her and gingerly took a bite.

"This is really good," she said, showing the bits of food in her mouth.

"Chew and swallow," Aang told her. He waited a few moments while she finished off the piece.

"That is really good," she told him again. Aang smiled to himself as she wolfed down her food. _Much better than fruit and nuts all of the time_, he told himself. He knew that it wasn't as true because they had been staying at King Bumi's palace.

"Thanks," she said, setting the empty plate on the nightstand.

"You're welcome. So how are you feeling today?" Aang wasn't very sure how well today would go, since Katara seemed to be such in a bad mood yesterday._ She had a good reason, but I want today to be a happy day_.

"I guess I feel okay. Not much better from yesterday, but I'm working on it," she said. Aang beamed at her and kissed her gently, disappointed when she didn't really respond back.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood."

The young Avatar sighed, trying to keep from getting frustrated. _I know that she isn't really feeling well, but she can at least give me some response that tells me she is accepting my comfort._ "Okay. Hurry up and get dressed though, there is someone that I would like you to meet." With that, Aang left her room.

Katara got out of bed and went over to the mirror. She hated her reflection, the reflection that said that she was worthless and ugly. She sniffled a few times, letting a few tears fall. "I hate what you did to me. Am I that much of an enemy? Is Aang so important that you will try to do something so awful to me just to bring him down?" Katara kneeled down from crying, her legs unable to support herself. She heaved in great sobs. "Why? Why? _Why?_" she whimpered. Suddenly a faint voice that sounded distinctly like Aang's came through her mind. _Katara, you deserve to be treated better. You are in no way a tramp, and it is not your fault that he did that to you_. She sat there for a moment, letting the words sink in. Shakily, she stood up and looked at her reflection. It was hard to do it, but what she said to herself helped tremendously.

"I am not going to let him get me down. I am not going to let him get me down." She repeated those words over an over. She kept repeating them as she washed up. She kept saying that sentence as she got dressed, and she kept thinking it as she went to the boys' room. A guy opened the door.

"I'm Talon," he introduced, offering his hand. Katara shook it.

"Is Aang's there?" she asked.

"Yeah, there in here. You must be Katara." Katara nodded her head.

"Come on in, Katara! He won't hurt you," she heard Sokka say. Talon stepped aside to let her in.

She studied Talon for a moment before speaking to Aang. "I guess that he is the one that you wanted me to meet." Aang nodded and pulled up a chair. "How do you know him?" she asked.

"They were about to tell me when you came," Sokka answered. Katara rolled her eyes at her brother and turned to the two other boys. Aang spoke first.

"Well, his grandfather and I used to hang out years ago," he started.

"More like a century," Sokka and Katara said at the same time.

"Anyways, I stopped at a stall today to get us some breakfast. I was waiting when this guy came over."

Talon finished the rest: "And my grandfather was getting excited because he remembered Aang from their childhood together. Aang finally recognized him. Then I asked him if he had any friends. And now I'm here."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "You guys made me think that there was some dramatic reunion." Katara gave him a gentle slap to warn him to be more polite.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," she said to Talon.

"Guess what? It turns out that he is an earth bender, and he's very good, so he's going to train with me." Katara smiled at him, knowing that earth bending was important to him.

"We're going down to the river. You want to come?" Talon asked.

_Maybe if I go with them it'll help me get my mind off of Zuko_. "Sure I'll go."

-------------

Aang, Katara, and Talon headed down to the river, passing the hour it took to get there by talking.

"I've lived here all of my life, and I'm one of the youngest." Talon was telling them a little bit of his life. He had told them about having his mother getting killed in an attack, having his father get killed in a shipwreck, and having been raised by his grandfather.

"I know how you feel. My mom was killed by fire benders and I haven't seen my father in years. Sokka and I lived with our small tribe until we found Aang. We went to the North Pole so Aang could learn water bending, and then to Omashu for earth bending, and through a series of _events,_" she had to pause to take a deep breath. Aang gave her a 'you can get past it' look. She smiled and turned back to Talon. "And that's how we ended up here." Aang and Katara smiled at each other, happy of their small accomplishment. Talon was giving them weird looks.

"Are you two together or something?" he asked.

"Yes," they answered simultaneously. _Why does he look disappointed?_ Aang thought, suspicious. He watched as Talon's eyes lingered on Katara for a moment. _I don't like the way he is looking at her_. Aang didn't want to believe that Talon wanted Katara, but if he did, it was no problem, because he was confident that Katara would stay with him. _But just in case_, Aang cleared his throat and threw Talon a firm look, making it clear that Katara wasn't on the market. The three kept on walking in an awkward silence.

"So how far are we?" Katara asked, breaking the silence. Talon ignored her and instead led them through a few low trees. A few more steps beyond that led them to a small clearing with a small river cutting it in half. Katara absentmindedly walked over to the stream and closed her eyes, gently water bending. She forgot her surroundings and the two boys with her, and instead focused on the calming influence the water had on her. _Push; pull_, she silently commanded herself. She continued to do this until her hands had a mind of their own._ Nothing and no one can bring me down_. She guided the stream of water up and down and around her body. Off to the side, Aang and Talon sat on the ground, mesmerized by her performance.

"Wow, she's really good," Talon whispered. Aang gave a faint smile in response. _I have never seen her like this before, water bending without actually noticing herself doing it_. They watched as Katara's movements slowed down. She finally guided it back into the water and sat back down, facing away from the other two. Unknown to them, her eyes were still closed, and she was only half-awake.

Aang crawled over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Her eyes fluttered open. 'I feel better now," she whispered. His eyes filled with adoration for her.

"I'm glad." They sat there like that, calm and at ease, forgetting for a moment their troubles. Aang forgot that he was a little frustrated with Katara for not being very responsive, and Katara had relief from Zuko for a moment. They were in a bubble of serenity, and for now, nothing else mattered.

A few feet away, Talon was studying Katara intently. He knew that adultery was one of the most horrible sins someone could do, and yet he couldn't help but like her. He felt even worse knowing that he and Aang were friends, not long friends but friends nonetheless, and that he and Katara were together. He hated the little voice inside his head that was telling him to make a move on Katara, and who cares about Aang? It wasn't like they were best friends. But the other side of him, the good side, was telling him that he should run far away. Talon took deep breaths and made his decision. "You guys okay?" he asked, walking up to the two. He pushed his guilty conscience aside when Aang looked up at him with a 'why the hell did you do that?' look on his face. Katara looked up at him, too, but she didn't seem as angry as Aang did. Talon quickly came up with an excuse for interrupting.

"We should start our training," he said. Aang reluctantly got up and started to stretch. A few minutes later, Talon was teaching him one-on-one combat techniques.

"So what is the deal with Katara? Why does she seem to be far-away?" Talon asked, stealing a glance at the bender. She was still sitting down, and she was practicing basic water bending. Her eyes were focused on some far away object, _maybe nothing at all_, and she seemed to be in a distant place. Aang's answer snapped him out of his trance.

"I can't tell you. If you really want to know, you're going to have to ask her, but she probably won't tell you. She hasn't even told me, not really." Aang stopped wrestling him and stood up. "It was a horrible experience for her and she hasn't been the same since."

Talon looked up at him with question, but didn't open his mouth. He merely shrugged. The two continued to fight, stopping every so often to correct mistakes. Talon couldn't get his mind off of Katara. _I wonder what her problem is._

Aang couldn't get rid of the feeling that something horrible was going to happen. _And I have a feeling that it involves Talon._

-------------

Katara sat down on the river bank, water bending and occasionally glimpsing at Aang and Talon. _Aang gets better everyday_, she thought. She loved Aang even more now, especially with him helping her heal. But every time she thought about Aang, somehow Talon seemed to creep his way into her mind. Sure, he was hot- she was used to seeing hot guys on a regular basis- but it was something about him that she liked. It was that little something that Aang didn't possess. And she found it alluring, mysterious, and annoying all at the same time. She didn't want to admit the fact that she had a crush on Talon. _The last little crush I had got me into so much drama already_. Aang was more than she ever wanted, and yet Talon was…Talon. _It might just be that he is someone new, and this is just the curiosity that goes along with meeting a new person. Or it could be a real crush. Either way, I don't want to get in any trouble again._

Katara looked over at the two boys again and watched them fight. She didn't realize that she had been staring at Talon until Aang walked up to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. She felt heat creep up her neck, embarrassed for being caught staring at Talon. She glanced up at Aang, and was not surprised to see a confused look on his face. "You were just staring into the distance, and I wanted to make sure that you were all right."

_I wasn't staring into the distance; I was staring at Talon_, her guilty conscience admitted. "I'm fine, Aang." She reassured him with a smile, sighing with relief when he relaxed. He kissed her cheek and went back over to Talon, who was watching them closely. She told herself that it meant nothing when Talon winked at her in a flirty way, and that she was just being nice when she smiled back. _You better watch it, or you'll be in trouble_, a voice warned her. _It meant nothing_, she tried to convince the voice.

_Problem is, I'm trying to convince myself._

-------------

It was late afternoon when the boys finally collapsed from exhaustion. Aang walked over to the stream and dunked his head underwater, feeling the water cool his head. When he came up for air he spotted Talon, who was talking to Katara. _It's probably nothing_, he told himself, but he couldn't be so sure. He had noticed that Talon was flirting with Katara, giving her winks and smiles and small waves. Aang tried to deny it, but he could've sworn that he saw Katara flirting back. He didn't really care if Talon was flirting with Katara, but he didn't want to admit that she was flirting back. Knowing that he was better off just asking her "How do you feel about Talon?" he decided anyway to do this the less straightforward way.

Walking towards the two, he asked, "I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a few." They nodded without looking up and continued whatever conversation they were having. Swallowing his jealousy, he walked a few feet into the forest until he decided on a good spot to spy. He made sure that he could see them but they couldn't see him. He also made sure that he could hear them. Crouching down a bit, he watched them converse.

-------------

"So you seem distant, are you okay?" Talon asked her.

"I'm fine. Did Aang send you over here?" she asked. Talon shook his head.

"Oh. So, what's up?" Katara asked. She scooted over slightly, making sure that they weren't too close.

"Nothing much," he said.

_Then why did you come over here?_ She silently told him.

"How was training? You and Aang seemed to be working really hard over there."

"It was pretty good, thanks. So how was, um, water bending?"

Katara gave him a smile. "It was good. I was just going over my water basics." Katara liked how he had a way of making her relax when just about everything was wrong. Aang could do this, too, but lately he seemed too concerned for her. _I like him caring about me, but does he realize that he should just act like nothing's happened?_ She felt a little resentment towards Aang come over her, but then it was quickly erased by realization. _But if he would have acted like nothing's wrong, then I would have been mad at him for not being concerned._ She sighed, not knowing what she should feel.

She noticed that Talon was studying her. "Seriously, are you okay? You seem to be upset about something." If Aang would have said something like that, she would have probably been a little reluctant in telling him what her problem is. But with this new friend of hers, she somehow felt completely comfortable telling him things.

"Is it about Aang?" he asked her. Katara hesitated, but nodded anyway.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really," she answered.

"You'll feel better if you do." Katara looked at him with surprise. She couldn't remember if Aang had ever used that line on her. _It was always 'please' or 'you don't have to'._

"Um, okay," she replied, feeling a little bit of her confidence come back. _That happened when Aang had tried to cheer me up, but it always felt short-lived_.

"Well, something really bad happened to me and Aang has been trying to help me heal ever since. But every time he did, every time he comforted me and told me encouraging things, it always was short-lived. Soon enough, I was always back at square-one, and then the cycle would start all over again." _That should be enough information to keep him satisfied._

"What happened?" he asked. "Maybe if you gave Aang some more information on what happened, he would be able to help you better." _This guy gives good advice_, she thought.

"I did tell him, but I never did tell him how I had felt, and I never really expressed my feelings outside of crying. I even had a dream about it the other night, but I still didn't really tell him about it." She couldn't believe she had just told an almost-stranger all of those things, and she still had yet to even remotely talk to Aang.

"That was a great start. So maybe if you told Aang how you feel, maybe things won't seem so complicated." Katara nodded and hugged him.

"Thanks. I haven't really thought of it that way." She blushed at Talon's grip around her middle and pulled back.

"May I ask what happened? It's kind of obvious that you two are close, and it just seems kind of unbelievable that you wouldn't talk to him about whatever." She knew that Talon wasn't forcing her to tell him, but since he asked so nicely, and since he seems like someone she could trust…

"I was almost raped," she whispered. She didn't have to look at Talon to know that he had a shocked look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said. Katara could tell that he was being genuine, because the next thing she knew she was wrapped in a bear hug. "Now I can understand why you have a hard time telling Aang. It must be so humiliating."

"It is," Katara agreed. She forgot about Aang for a moment, taking in Talon's embrace.

"Well, it isn't your fault," he told her. Katara pulled away and smiled.

"That's what Aang said."

Talon nodded. "And he's completely right." They sat in a comfortable silence for a few seconds.

"By the way, where is he?" Talon asked.

"I'm right here," Aang said, taking the opportunity to come out of his hiding place. "I kind of went too deep into the woods and got lost a little bit," he lied. He watched as Talon shrugged.

"Well I'm glad that you're safe," Katara said. Aang smiled. He had heard their conversation and seen them hug, but he had to admit, Katara seemed happier.

"We should go before it gets dark," he said, helping Katara up. Talon nodded in agreement and led them back to the village. They said their good-nights to Talon and walked back to the hotel.

"I had a really good day," Katara told him. They were back at the hotel. She and Aang were sitting on her bed.

"I'm glad. You seem to be much happier," he said, scooting closer to her.

"I am. Talon gave me some great advice today," she said.

"What was it about?" he asked, even though he already knew.

"The almost-rape," she said quietly.

"Okay." Aang didn't know exactly what to say.

"Well, um, first-off, I'm sorry if I haven't been open with you. I wasn't really ready to give you the complete story. Aang nodded, giving her the signal to continue.

"Well now I am. When Zuko tried to rape me, I felt used and disrespected and ugly. Then when you rescued me I didn't know how to tell you and I didn't know how to act, so I just shut myself off from the world and cried. I loved it when you tried to encourage me and it worked a little bit, but then I would just forget all about it and start from the beginning. And then I had this horrible dream." Aang took her hand.

"Tell me about the dream. Keep going, you're doing great." Katara smiled and continued.

"I was surrounded by fire and then when I tried to get away it became hotter. I saw a pair of eyes and felt burning hands feel me up. Then when I tried to get away and when I screamed for him to stop, I got slapped." She started to cry, remembering the dream. Aang took her into his arms.

"Keep going," he whispered.

"And then the eyes turned to fire. I kept yelling for help and then I heard a voice call out to me. It kept calling until I woke up." Katara sat there, gasping for breath and crying. It felt so good to finally let go of her fear. _Talon was right; it does feel better to let things out in the open._ "He was right," she said.

"Who was?"

"Talon." She saw Aang's face darken a bit but didn't pay to much attention to it. "He was right about opening up instead of keeping things bottled inside. It makes you feel so much better to let things out."

"Then can I ask you something?" Aang said.

"Sure."

He hesitated, but he asked his question anyway. "Do you like Talon?" It was kind of a stupid question for him to ask, but he had to ask it anyway.

"Yeah," she said. Aang could see that she didn't quite get what he meant.

"I mean, do you _like_ him?" his face heated up, embarrassed by the question. It was a good thing he was looking down, because Katara's face was red, too.

_How can he ask me that question?_ "No," she replied. She cursed herself for letting her voice sound shaky. Aang looked up at her, somewhat doubting her answer.

"Are you sure? It kind of looked like you were flirting with him," he continued.

She felt herself get hotter, because she now knew that she really was flirting with Talon, and worse, that Aang had noticed it.

"I'm positive. We weren't flirting." Katara made sure that she sounded firm. Aang was still a little doubtful, so he came up with an ingenious proposition. He leaned in and kissed her deeply, weaving his arms around her and lying down. She snaked her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. Aang couldn't help but notice that she didn't give as much passion as he was giving her. He pressed her closer into him, deepening the kiss further. Aang felt his girlfriend shy away from his grasp a little bit. _Why isn't she responding as much as she usually does_? he asked himself. He had the distinct feeling that it had something to do with Talon. He gently eased the kiss until it was just them holding each other, staring into the other's eyes.

"I'm going to bed," he whispered. After a light kiss on the lips and the exchange of "good-nights", he left his room and entered his own down the hall.

"Have fun?" Sokka asked, smirking at Aang. He turned serious when the young monk lay on the bed without even a glare.

"Something wrong?" he asked, turning towards Aang. He was answered with a slight nod.

"Well then tell me," he demanded. Aang sighed and turned to the warrior.

"I think Katara has a thing for Talon," he said. His eyes sent daggers towards Sokka when the teen laughed.

"Yeah right. Aang, she doesn't like him. She likes you. And I'm sure that she won't cheat on you." Sokka looked over at Aang, who was staring at the ceiling.

"But they were flirting all day. She hardly even spoke to me today. And when she did, she was all 'Talon was right; it's better to open up'!" Aang turned over and buried his head into the fluffy pillow.

"Are you sure it was flirting? It could have been that they were only being nice to each other," Sokka reasoned.

"I may be twelve, but I know that giving winks and smiling and glancing at each other every two minutes qualifies as flirting," Aang replied. Sokka sat there, stunned.

"Okay, Aang, I see where you're coming from, but-

"I know what I saw," he argued.

"Okay. If you really want to know if she likes you and not him, just kiss her. If she responds like she usually does, then she is still for you and you only. But if she doesn't and seems distracted, then I'm sorry buddy." He heard a groan come from the pillow.

"Don't tell me that she didn't have give energy," he pleaded. Aang looked up at him.

"She didn't," he said. Sokka gave him a 'tough-luck' look and lied back down. Aang sighed and turned away from him.

_Maybe she was still shaken up from her admittance_, his good side said. However, to Aang's annoyance, his bad side seemed to kick in. _Yeah right. She seemed happy to me. I bet she was thinking about that Talon retard_. Good replied, _I should give her the benefit of the doubt. I know that she wouldn't cheat on me_. But his bad side just wouldn't give up, _You saw the way they were looking at each other. Plus, tonight when it should have been all about you, she decided to bring Talon into the mix._ Aang had to admit that both of these voices had a great argument, and he didn't know which one to follow. He blew the candle out and went to sleep.

-------------

Katara woke up early the next day, just before dawn. Yawning, she sat up in her bed. She had such a good day yesterday and it was because of Talon, so she decided to thank him. He had told her yesterday that he and Aang met at a food stall in the morning, so she had an idea where he was. Washing up and getting dressed, she walked out into the crisp morning air. Making her way to the village market and weaving through the aisles, she finally found Talon setting up his stall.

"Morning," she greeted him. He turned around and smiled at her, obviously happy that she was there.

"Good morning. How did you sleep last night?" he asked.

"Well, thank you. That reminds me, I wanted to thank you fir yesterday. I had a great time talking to you and you made me fell so much better."

"You're welcome. Did you talk to Aang?"

"Yes, I did. You were right; it would make me feel better if I talked about it." Katara sat down on a chair that was beside the stall. "How did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"That talking to someone would make me feel better," she said.

Talon pulled up a chair beside her. "When my parents died, I was so full of hatred towards the world. And since their deaths were caused by the Fire Nation, and me living so near to the border, it was awful. I even used to terrorize the Fire Nation people who lived nearby. Then my grandfather sent me to counseling, and I learned that I should take my anger out in other ways."

"And what ways did you take it out?" she asked. Katara always did have a thing for guys with tragic pasts, and Talon wasn't any different.

"Believe it or not, cooking," he told her, handing her a piece of a fresh pancake. She took it and popped into her mouth.

"How is it?" he asked. Katara swallowed.

"It's really good. Who taught you to cook like that?" Talon chuckled.

"No one did. I taught myself," he answered.

"Wow! That is amazing. Other than pancakes, what else do you make?"

"Everything. And I love to learn about cooking from other cultures." He looked at her hopefully.

"Sorry, but I don't really know how to cook," she said. He shrugged and turned back to the skillet, pouring some pancake mix onto it.

"May I help?" she asked. He smiled and motioned for her to come behind the stall. She eagerly obeyed, washing her hands and tying on an apron.

"Okay, not put these ingredients into that bowl," he motioned her towards a small table full of flour, eggs, and other ingredients. "Then use this to mix it up. Make sure that no eggshell pieces get into the batter, and make sure that the liquid is smooth." Katara nodded and got to work.

"How's it coming?" Talon asked ten minutes later. He stepped over to her and took the stirrer away from her.

"Wow, what did you put into it?" he asked, dipping a finger into the now-empty bowl.

"Oh, just some apple juice, cinnamon, and vanilla," she answered.

"It's really good," he said, flipping over the apple-pancakes.

"Thanks." She watched as Talon wrapped the finished apple-pancakes in some paper and gave them to a customer. He put the money away before turning to Katara.

"Do you want to hang out today? Today I only work until noon." Katara thought it over. _If I go with him, it might be some sort of date. _She swept the thought aside. It wasn't a date; she was only going to spend the day with a new friend.

"Sure. I'll go." The two smiled at each other and continued working. Katara made some more of her apple-pancakes, which never stayed off the pan for to long.

"Thanks for helping me," he said a couple of hours later. He handed her a bag of coins. "This is what you earned today."

Katara glanced at the bag, happy that she had made money _and_ had a fun time doing it.

"Thanks."

-------------

Aang walked through the busy market. Katara wasn't in her room this morning, and even though she didn't leave a note, he had a pretty good idea where she was. When he got to Talon's stall however, he was surprised to see that it was abandoned. A sign on the wall said, "Closed". He sighed, not knowing where to find the two.

"I believe Talon and a girl went down to the clearing," an old man told him. Aang gave him a quick thank you before running off to the clearing.

_It's probably nothing. It's probably nothing. It's probably nothing_.

-------------

Katara and Talon were once again sitting on the river bank. This time, they were sharing funny stories and having fun. They had taken off their shoes to dip their feet into the water, and Katara had also shown him some water bending moves.

"Hey!" he had shouted. Katara had stood there laughing as Talon had rubbed the sore spot she had given him from a "gentle" water whip. He had shown her some earth bending, and they even had a tiny spar. Neither of them won, so they had taken off their shoes to put their feet into the cold water. Now they were telling each other jokes and doing other silly things.

Katara was having such a great time, she forgot about her boy worries and just enjoyed being around Talon. She didn't even notice when Talon had taken her hand and was massaging it gently. She didn't notice when she was eventually leaning against him, and they were sitting in a comfortable silence.

"I'm having a great day with you, Katara," Talon said.

"I had a good day, too. Ever since I met you, I have been feeling so much like my old self." Talon looked down into her eyes, leaning…leaning. Next thing she knew, she was trapped in an extraordinary kiss. She knew it was wrong, but it felt so right. She deepened the kiss further and let his tongue slide in. Katara forgot her surroundings, until…

"I guess this is déjà vu all over again." She looked up to see a hurt- no,_ heartbroken_- Aang behind her. It was plain to know that he had seen them kissing.

"Except it's on a larger scale." He ran back into the forest. Katara got up and ran after him, leaving Talon to process everything that just happened.

-------------

Tears were stinging his eyes; braches were whacking him across the face, and he was getting cuts all along his small body, but he kept running. _I knew it! I knew that something was there! Why didn't I listen to myself?_ He kept running until he collapsed against a tree trunk. He squeezed his eyes and his mouth shut, not wanting to let the sobs escape him. He heard footsteps coming towards him, and he had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed, finding him. _Oh God, what did I do?_ She looked at a dirty, inconsolable, and aching Aang.

"Leave me alone," he whimpered.

"Aang I'm sorry."

Aang looked up at her angrily. "You told me that you would never hurt me." She cast her eyes down and took a step towards him, crying inside when he took several steps back.

"You said that there was nothing going on. You said that Talon didn't mean anything. You said-

"Stop! I know I said a lot of things, but Aang, please hear me out. I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't know what I wanted or how I was feeling." She tried to explain things to Aang, but he wasn't having it.

"Well, you can think things over without me," he said, walking away. Katara's heart rate sped up, not believing what she was being told. She stopped Aang and turned him around to face her.

"What do you mean, Aang?" she asked. He yanked his arm away from her.

"What I'm saying is that I tried so hard to make you comfortable. I tried so hard to help you heal. You repay me by kissing Talon. I understand that he was helping you, too, but what I saw was too much. I'm sorry Katara, but it's over."

He ran away and Katara fell to the ground, sobbing. She couldn't believe that he had broken up with her.

_And it's my entire fault._

-------------

Aang was nearby, having an emotional break-down. He couldn't believe that Katara was making-out with Talon. He couldn't believe that she had lied to him about their relationship. _The least she could have done was being honest._ So there sat two brokenhearted teens, crying over what they had lost that is most precious to them: the other.

-------------

Wow. That's all I have to say. That was such a hard chapter to write, because of the fact that this story is a Kataang, and I don't think anybody has read a Kataang that has gone down that path. But just so you know, there are two more chapters to go, and I am currently making up the basic plan of the sequel. Review please; I really want to know what you think.


	15. Broken Promises

You guys surprised me with your reaction to their break-up. I thought you guys would be all 'I hate you! I'm never reading this story again!' But you weren't, and I was kind of scared by that. Anyways, in this chapter, Talon is out of the picture, there won't be very much interaction between Katara and Aang, but a GIANT secret is revealed when Samaria returns. And to make matters worse, her secret messes up their relationship even more. So with that said, sit back, relax, and enjoy! Oh, and if you wanted to know what Talon looked like, well, use your imagination. Katara never falls for an ugly dude, you know.

I don't own Avatar: TLA

-------------

"YOU WHAT?" Sokka yelled. He and Aang were in their hotel room, and Aang had just told Sokka the whole story. They were packing their bags because he didn't want to spend another second on this stupid island.

"I broke up with her," Aang groaned, falling onto his bed. "She cheated on me again and I didn't know what else to do." He glanced up at Sokka, who's mouth was about to touch the floor.

"But Aang, I always thought that you two would be together always. Why did you dump her?" he whined. Aang looked up at his friend. _Why can't he just get over the fact that we're not together anymore?_ _Besides, it has only been three hours._

"Sokka," Aang started, with a slight annoyance in his voice. "I broke up with her because she cheated on me and lied to me. I couldn't take it anymore. So I dumped her," he repeated for the twelfth time that evening. Sokka sat down on a chair, pouting.

"Why do you look so upset? If anything, I should be the one with my lip poked out," Aang said. _But for some reason I feel kind of free_. True, he was angry, and true, he was miserable, but he also felt like a burden has been lifted off of his shoulders.

"Is this how a dumper is supposed to feel?" he asked himself.

"Like what?" Sokka asked.

"Angry, sad, and free all at once?"

"I don't know," Sokka answered truthfully.

"What do you mean, 'I don't know'?" Aang sat up, pressing Sokka on for a reply.

"I mean that I have no clue on how a dumper is supposed to feel. I never was one."

Aang forgot his problem for a moment to laugh at Sokka. "You mean that you were always the one getting dumped?"

Sokka glared at him. "A 'dumpee' is the correct term. And I never got dumped. I had to leave Suki and Yue had to turn into the moon," Sokka explained, telling Aang about the situations behind both of his girlfriends. (A/N: But was Suki ever a real girlfriend? Someone tell me.) Aang nodded, even though he was still laughing. They continued packing up. Once again Aang returned to his gloomy, burden-free mood.

"I'm going to go talk to my sister," Sokka said, leaving the room. Aang finished his packing and lied down. Whether he felt free or not, he was still hurt, and couldn't keep a few tears from falling.

-------------

Katara quickly dried her eyes as her brother walked in. He sat down on her bed across from her and asked her one simple question: "Why did you do it?" This brought a fresh, new round of tears. Sokka handed her a handkerchief and waited until she calmed down.

"Why did you do it?" he asked again. Katara shrugged. She didn't really have an answer to that. _Or at least one that won't sound stupid when I say it._

"Tell me," he ordered.

She sighed, knowing that he wouldn't let her off the hook. "Talon was so nice and sweet," she started.

"So was Aang," Sokka protested. He hated to treat his sister like this, but this was the _second_ time she has hurt Aang seriously.

Katara nodded at his statement. _He's right._ "I know, but there was something I liked about Talon, something I didn't see in Aang."

"The lure of a new person?" Sokka asked sarcastically, but also in a serious tone. She looked away, feeling ashamed. _Now that I'm actually thinking about the whole thing, I feel ridiculous_.

"Katara," Sokka said, taking his sister's hand. "It's fine to hang out with other guys as friends. But you can't just go around kissing them just because they do something nice." Katara looked up into her brother's eyes, nodding to let him know that she understood. The two pulled into a hug.

"Thank you," she said. He got up and walked to the door, growling. _Talon must be here._ Her guess was correct. He was asking her brother if he could talk to her. Sokka gave him a warning glare but let him in anyway. He left the two to some privacy, but not before casting Katara a 'you better not do anything' look. Talon started first after the door was closed.

"I'm sorry for what happened between you and Aang," he apologized. _You don't sound to sorry to me_, Katara thought, getting up and sitting on the other side of the room.

"I don't want to be bothered by you right now," she told him. He got up to get closer to her.

"I'm sorry that you got caught, but we have so much chemistry. Can't you just sneak behind his back so we can be together?"

Katara's eyes widened. _His nerve! The audacity!_ She had to hold herself back from slapping him. He was big, and although he had shown himself to be trustworthy and respectful, she was in no way going to try to get in a fight with him.

"We broke up," she informed. He automatically turned soft and hugged her.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but look on the bright side. Now we can just be together guilt-free!" She shoved him away from her, and kept pushing him until he was out the door.

"Get out! Don't come near me!" she yelled. Her actions resulted in a few stares from people lingering in the hotel hallway. She slammed the door in his face, leaning on the door on the other side.

"It's not my fault!" he argued. She angrily opened the door to see a smirking Talon. "Katara, lighten up. It's not my fault that you got caught. Forget about the whole situation and come to me." Katara slapped him.

"Look! Never show up again in my life! Leave me the hell alone! You're right, it is my fault, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to forget all about it for you! No, I'm going to get Aang back, and you can't stop me! Now LEAVE!" She slammed the door once again in the face of Talon, who was wearing a dumbfounded expression on his face. She ran over to the window and opened it, taking in gulps of air. She let her cries disappear into the night. Sighing, she got up and washed herself and her clothes, then packed up her bags. After a few moments, she slid into bed, falling into a restless slumber.

-------------

Aang woke up early the next day. He had heard the whole argument between Talon and Katara the night before, and it had left him wondering. _She said that she was going to get me back. _That is all he had been thinking about. _In a way, I'm happy that she cares so much, and one part of me is dying to get her back, but what if I don't want to be back together? What if I want to be on my own for a while?_ He sat up, knowing it wouldn't do any good to wonder. He walked into the bathroom and washed him and his clothes. After water bending him and his outfit dry, he got dressed and walked out.

"Took you long enough," Sokka grumbled.

"If you want to be with a funky boy for the next few days, then you can keep on complaining," Aang snapped. Sokka walked into the bathroom and shut the door, mumbling junk. Aang walked over to the window, breathing in the fresh air. He looked at the children playing, at the wives doing their morning chores, and the men heading to the market. He sighed, knowing that there weren't any benefits from moping, but he continued to stand there, taking in the morning. He looked over to the left and saw that Katara was doing the same thing as he was. Before she got the chance to notice him, he ducked back into the room. _I can't keep running away from her_. But this time, he wasn't going to get involved with some psycho-chick again, either. _That is what got us into all of this mess anyway_. He sat down on a nearby chair and buried his face in his hands.

"I've got to get a grip on myself," he muttered.

"You sure do. Both of you. I swear, between the two of you, I don't know which one is worse with all the crying and the moping," Sokka complained.

Aang looked up and frowned. "Shut up," was his only reply. Then he asked, "Are we ready?", trying to change the subject.

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, we just need to stop at the market before we go."

Aang groaned. "I'm never going back there," he stated. But Sokka shook his head.

"Yes you are. I know for a fact that Katara won't go, for the obvious reason," he watched as Aang winced at the memories. "So that leaves you, because I am not going by myself."

He scanned Aang. "Besides, you need to learn how to face the problem head-on, instead of dealing with it later. You need to practice that, anyway."

Aang sighed, knowing that Sokka was right. "Fine." He got up and followed him out the room.

They walked through the stalls, buying food and supplies and looking at the items the market sold. One stall caught Aang's eye. Or rather, one item caught his eye. It was an exact replica of his air bender outfit. He walked up to it, touching the silk fabric. _How in the world is this here?_ He traced his fingers along the seams.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" a familiar voice said. Aang looked up into the face of Kristof, Talon's grandfather. He also noticed that Talon was there, hanging a few items up on racks.

"It is," he whispered, still entranced by the outfit. "How did you get this?" he asked. Kristof chuckled.

"My wife specializes in antique clothes," he answered. Aang took this moment to take a look at the other things hung up around the stall. Sure enough, other versions of his clothes were present, along with old suits of armor, dresses, and even jewelry. He gazed down at his own attire, which was torn and worn from too much use.

"How much?" he asked. Kristof glanced over Aang quickly, as if he just noticed his garments.

"For you, only ten silver pieces." Aang sucked in his breath, even though he knew that the price was a cheap one. He dug into his pouch, taking out ten of the last eleven silver pieces. Handing the change over to Kristof, he excitedly took the outfit off the rack.

"Want me to wrap it up for you?" Kristof offered. Aang nodded and waited patiently as it was wrapped. After it was given back to him, he went off to search for Sokka. Talon followed him, making sure that he went unnoticed by Aang.

"What's that?" Sokka asked when Aang finally found him.

"You'll see. I don't want to unwrap it," Aang told him. Sokka shrugged and the two walked back to the hotel, their arms full of their purchases. Talon continued to tag along. The two boys found Katara outside, bending over a wash bin. She was washing their sleeping bags. She and Aang made eye contact, but neither did anything else to acknowledge the other. She brushed a wisp of hair away from her face and continued on washing.

_She's so pretty_, Aang thought. He couldn't help but still notice how gorgeous she was. Her tan skin practically glowed in the sun, her wavy hair was pulled into a loose ponytail with a few tendrils framing her face, and her pretty blue eyes were focused on the task before her. He came down to earth when Sokka gave him a quick jab in his side. Ignoring the pain, he realized that Katara had asked him a question.

"What's in the package?" she repeated. Aang unwrapped the package and he held up the outfit.

"How did you manage to get that?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I was just walking through the market and it was just hanging there," he said. He folded the outfit back into the paper. Katara turned back to the sleeping bags and started to water bend them dry. Sokka threw Aang a look that said, "Now that wasn't so bad, not was it?" Aang rolled his eyes in reply.

"I'm just going to start bringing our stuff outside," Sokka announced, nearly running into the hotel. Aang would've run too if Katara wasn't looking at him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Do you need some help with that?" he asked, ignoring her statement. He pretended that he didn't see the hurt look on her face. She nodded and handed him his sleeping bag. He focused on his task for a few more moments before Katara repeated herself.

"I'm sorry," she said more firmly. She went so far as to look him in the eyes. Aang had to force himself to look back at her. He had to admit to himself, _she does look genuine about her apology._

"Thanks," he replied. Katara stopped what she was doing, startling Aang.

"If you want to act like nothing's happened, then you can. But I'm not going to act like we are just friends, when we are so much more," she said. Aang could tell that she was tearing up, even though he was facing the other way.

_Please don't cry_, he wordlessly said. _Then I won't be able to think straight_. She didn't stop, though.

"And I just want you to know that I really regret what I did, not only because it was wrong, but because it hurt you." She gazed at his still figure.

"Okay," he replied.

"Aang, please. Can we work things out?" she asked.

Aang shook his head. "I'm sorry, Katara, but you can't just break my heart and then ask to work things out. It doesn't work that way. I need some time to think things over." Katara finally let her tears fall. Turning back to her work, she quickly finished the drying and ran inside the hotel. Aang sighed and sat down on the ground.

_That went well_, he thought sarcastically. He didn't want to hurt Katara, but _I need to straighten out my thoughts_. He finally saw Talon, who was standing nearby.

"What do you want?" he asked bitterly, trying to pay no attention to him. Talon sat down beside him.

"You should forgive her," Talon said. Aang could've sworn that he saw a smirk appear on Talon's face.

"Why should I?" Aang answered. Talon grinned.

"So that it will be easier for you when she's mine."

"Get away from me," Aang whispered.

"No," was Talon's simple reply. Aang had to resist the urge to beat Talon to a bloody pulp. _I won't stoop down to that level._

"Get away from me," he said more firmly this time. To emphasize his demand, he gave Talon a fierce look. Talon stared back at him defiantly before giving up. Aang let out a sigh of relief when he was out of sight. _Bastard_, Aang thought, silently insulting him.

He sat there for about a half hour before Sokka came to tell him that they were ready to leave. Aang rolled up his sleeping bag and walked over to Appa. Climbing onto his head and making sure that they were ready, he told Appa, "yip-yip!" and left the island behind.

-------------

Katara yawned and stretched out. She had been on Appa for six hours and it would be another ten minutes before they landed near the gates of Omashu. _I can't wait_, she thought, glancing to look at her two companions. _Things have been too tense for me to handle_. The last time she had talked to Aang was when they were back on that stupid island.

_I should have left things alone_. She began to think about their conversation for what seemed like the hundredth time. Shaking her head, she leaned over the side and bended some water to take her mind off of things. She thought about the good times she and Aang had been through.

"What's going on?" she heard her brother ask. They landed and hopped off of the bison, taking their bags with them. The trio walked towards the city. From the sky,they could see that there was some commotion going on in the city. The guards let them in and the three were escorted to the palace.

"What's going on?" Aang asked Bumi. He shushed them and led them to a private room, where Samaria, another lady, a man, and some Fire Nation people were all in handcuffs and were surrounded by heavy security. The three sat on a small bench. Katara saw Samaria roll her eyes at her, but Katara couldn't help but smirk. _I'm not the one who is arrested._

"Do you recognize any of these people?" an Earth Kingdom officer asked. All three nodded.

"Do you have any information about any one of them?" he asked again. _Not really. Just that the girl on the end basically trashed my relationship, _she thought bitterly. Katara spoke up first.

"The girl on the end is named Samaria," she told him. Someone else in the room wrote down the things she said. Aang spoke next.

"She sold us to the Fire Nation," he said. Katara admired Aang for what he just did. It was a bold move to sell someone out, especially one who has dealt with authority. The officer nodded and the man scribbled more things down. _We must be witnesses_, she realized when the man turned to Samaria.

"So now I am going to try to piece together all of the information that I have gathered." He dodged a kick, a rock, and blasts of fire all at once. Katara's eyes widened at the violence from the arrested, but especially at the story behind Samaria.

"So your mother is a Fire Nation spy," he said, dodging another blast. "And a fire bender," he said, wiping off the ashes from his clothes.

"Twenty years ago she was sent on a mission to figure out the Earth Kingdom's missions. She then sneaked intothis city of Omashusomehow and started her mission. Then she married an earth bender and had you. You grew up to be a spy alongside your mom, and also discovered your earth bending abilities." He looked around the room before continuing. "Meanwhile, you have been communicating with the royal family of the Fine Nation for some time, and you were assigned recently the job of luring the Avatar to the Fire Nation anyway that you were able to. You were supposed to, uh, mess with his head." The officer said it in an unsure way, as if trying to understand her lingo. A scowl from Samaria and the other lady-_ must be her mom_- confirmed his beliefs. "So to lure the Avatar to the Fire Nation, you decided to break him away from his girlfriend by making him 'cheat on her'." By now, Katara was on the edge of the seat.

_That bitch!_ She thought, thinking of no worse word to call her. _I can't believe her! All of her schemes were a way to get Aang captured! _She caught everybody's attention by letting out a long scream. Aang and Sokka had to hold her down to keep her from hurting somebody. After finally calming down, the military officer continued.

"After a series of events, which you make a point out of not mentioning, you paid Zuko fifty gold pieces to take the girlfriend away. During all of this time, your father had absolutely no idea that this was going on." He paused for a moment. "We will have to prove him innocent, but he may be set free." The military man motioned for them to unlock the handcuffs from Samaria's father's handcuffs, and they watched as he left the room surrounded by guards. Before the military officer could say anything more, Katara was standing dangerously close to Samaria and her mother.

"You," she said, her voice dripping with venom. She pointed an accusing finger towards Samaria. "You wrecked my relationship, and for the FIRE NATION!" Samaria grinned. "You destroyed me! You destroyed me and Aang! You," she stopped for a moment to take in some air. Samaria had the decency to look scared. "_You will pay!" _She unscrewed the top from her canteen and prepared a miniature water whip, but she was stopped before she had a chance to give Samaria revenge.

Katara, Sokka, and Aang were led from the room. They headed to their bedrooms. Katara sat on her bed and cried. "Why did all of this have to happen? Why did she have to cause all of this mess for us?" she said through her sobs. _If it wasn't for her, we might not have been in this chaos._ She buried her head into her pillows, crying harder._ But more importantly_, "Why did I let this happen to me?"

-------------

Aang sat up in his bed. Ever since he had heard about Samaria's past, he couldn't eat, sleep, or talk. He could barely think. And when he did think, it was about his relationship. _She ruined it all. My whole friendship with Katara is ruined because of her. Why did I have to overreact and meet her? Why didn't I go and work things out with Katara? Why was I so quick? Maybe if I hadn't gotten involved with that whore we wouldn't be in this crap! _He got out of his funk for a moment to laugh at the memory of Katara about to fight Samaria an hour ago.

"You okay?" Sokka asked. Aang was about to say no, but was interrupted when a few knocks were heard on the door. Sokka got up to open it.

Aang joined Sokka at the door when they saw who it was. "Is something wrong?" Aang asked him, noticing that it was the military officer from before.

"The king fears for your safety, and Fire Nation ships have been spotted near the coastline. He wanted to give you this note." The officer handed them the letter and disappeared around the corner. "What does the note say?" Sokka asked.

"It says that since there are too many Fire Nation ships around, and with the drama Samaria and her family caused, we should go to the nearby city of Kailur. He says that they are one of the only cities left that has been untouched by the war, and that there are many earth bending masters there so that I can finish my training."

"So what, are we just supposed to pack up and leave?" Sokka says. "We just got here two hours ago!"

"Is everything alright in here?" The two saw that Katara had come into their room while Sokka was yelling. Aang looked away and Sokka nodded.

"It's not a big deal. We have to leave by tomorrow," he said, reading some more of the letter.

"Why?"

"Safety reasons." They stood there in silence. Sokka noticed that Katara and Aang were avoiding each other's gazes.

"I'm going to leave you two alone." Before either one of them could protest, Sokka fled. _Not again_, they silently groaned. Katara gathered her courage and spoke.

"Aang, Samaria was wrong. Most of our problems were somehow caused by her. Can we just make up and start over?" However, Aang was rethinking a little bit, mostly about how Samaria had sold them out, how she had kissed Talon, and what the connection was between the two events.

"I know that she played a big part in the, um, destruction of our friendship, but it still doesn't matter much. You kissed him on your own, without anyone else's advising. Don't get me wrong, I am just as angry with Samaria as you are, but I still need time." Aang finished his little speech, while Katara looked at him with anger and hurt.

"All I want is to work things out. All I want is to at least get our friendship back, but you keep on pushing me away. You keep telling me that you need to think. I am going to give you your time, because it might help us, but don't think for too long, because then I may be gone." She turned on her heel, no doubt heading for her room to gather her bags. Aang sat down on his bead and buried his head into his hands.

_Why did I have to be like that? Why couldn't I just accept her again?_ He got his answer in a familiar voice.

_Because you're not ready. When the time comes, though, you will be_. Aang knew that voice; it was Avatar Roku's.

_What does he want from me? And what does he mean by, 'when the time comes, you will be'? _

"Something going to happen," he said.

"What is?" Sokka asked. He went around the room, picking up their bags, which, thankfully, haven't been unpacked.

"Nothing," Aang answered. Sokka shrugged.

"Okay, then." He motioned for Aang to come help him.

"We have to go now. The guards are here to escort us to Appa." Aang nodded and took two of the bags from him, then followed him out into the hallway. After one last good-bye and a thank-you to King Bumi, the three were taken to Appa. They loaded their things and climbed onto him. Sokka took the reigns first.

"Yip-yip!" Sokka cried. The bison took off into the air, leaving Omashu behind. The three got comfortable on his back, or in Sokka's case, his head.

"Where's Kailur?" Sokka asked. Aang checked the letter, which said that Kailur was fifty miles southeast. Sokka steered Appa in that direction while Aang and Katara crawled into their sleeping bags.

"Good night," she whispered. Aang soon heard her even breathing, and knew that she was asleep. He turned in his sleeping bag to face her, twirling a piece of her hair around her fingers.

"You still like her, don't you?" Sokka asked. Aang nodded.

"Then tell her," he advised. That was the last thing he heard before he fell asleep.

_But I'm not ready yet_.

-------------

There is so much emotion. Talon thinks the world revolves around him, Samaria is arrested, and Aang is being stubborn. Sokka is being a big brother and Katara is begging for forgiveness. Review please!

Anyways, I know that is a little short, but I want to save all the good stuff for the (take a deep breath) FINALE! Yes, you heard me right. Chapter 16 will be the last chapter, and trust me, I have a great ending plot for you guys. But don't cry just yet, because there _is_ going to be a sequel (check out my profile for a brief summary).


	16. We Belong Together

I am so proud of myself! I did it! I completed my first fanfic! If you have ever completed your first fanfic, then you know how I feel. So anyway, I have dedications, mentions, and other great stuff.

Dedicated to:

**Fire Raven Girl**: my biggest fan, my personal critic, and the person who gave me my start on the website. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! See you tomorrow at school.

To All of My Reviewers:

If it wasn't for you guys, I probably wouldn't have so much success. You guys encouraged me, helped me, and made me happy. Thanks to:

**Sora's Girl AKA JRL, TheMagnificentMomo, .Jesus.Freak.And.Proud.Of.It., I Brake For Ghosts, Blue Jay22, Notloc, Sami, darkavatar13, Stormbender, KataraLover90, cutepuplover, JohnDoe2134, Amberhawk, purplelover, OrangeyBrisket1993, Hopeless Romantic Kitty, iwriteokstories, chiming.softly, FlipMyMood, Sukia Fire, the ark, serena carrasquillo, Zuko Rules, PychoDancingBookworm, Cutelilteen, Sarutobi61, Crazy Teen, Warrior Kameko, Fire-is-friend, Kuki, andromedacblack,** **pureangel86 **and** MoonPisces.**

Last but Not Least, Thanks To:

**babiangel93, BabiLatina, itachi uchiha45, 843, ephona, takh111 **and** kirarisoldier.**

-------------

Now here's the final chapter. Prepare for anything.

-------------

"I'm exhausted," Sokka grumbled. The three climbed off Appa, lazily grabbing their bags and walking towards the village. It was dawn, and only a few people were already starting their day. Aang had read some more of King Bumi's letter, and he had told them to go to a large house, where his new trainer would be waiting for him.

"I think that is the house," Katara said, pointing to the largest house in the village.

"I think you're right," Aang said. He had had the most awful dream about her the night before. _It had felt so real_, he thought. _I don't even want to think about it._ When he had woken up in a cold sweat, he had vowed to be a little bit nicer to her. He figured he was making good progress, because neither he nor Katara had cried, yelled, or ignored the other since yesterday.

Now the three walked up to the house, Aang knocked on the door. A middle-aged man answered. He scanned them up and down. "May I help you?" he asked.

"We're looking for a person by the name of Kauri," Aang said.

"You must be Aang. A messenger told me that King Bumi sent you. And are these your friends?"

Aang nodded.

"Well come on in," he stepped aside to let them inside, closing the door when the three were in the house.

"I'm Keitaro," the man introduced himself. "And Kauri is my wife. I think that she is supposed to help you master earth bending."

"Yes, she is," Aang replied. "When can I meet her?" he asked, looking around the house.

Keitaro chuckled. "She's still sleeping, and will be until around eight o'clock." He looked at the trio, who were tired and only halfway paying attention to him.

"I will lead you three to the guest rooms, if you like," Keitaro offered. They stood up eagerly, gathering their bags and following him through the hallways. He stopped in front of a large room and opened it for them.

"Here you go. It has four beds and a good bathroom. Perfect for you three." He walked away so they could get settled in.

"This is nice," Katara commented, picking out the bed nearest to the window. Aang and Sokka claimed other beds for themselves.

"I'll be in the bathroom," Sokka mumbled. He disappeared, leaving the ex-couple alone.

Aang collapsed onto his bed and hid his face into the pillow. He could hear Katara opening the window. He glanced up to look at her. She was sitting on the wide windowsill, watching the village wake up and start their day. "It's such a pretty day," she whispered to no one in particular.

"It is," he agreed. She slowly turned to face him, and then turned back to the window.

"What do you want?" she asked. Aang could detect hints of anger in her voice.

"I only wanted to agree with you," he said. "I'll leave you alone." Aang turned away from her.

"I thought you hated me," she said, softening up.

_Why would you think something like that?_ he thought before realization struck him. _Because of the way I have been acting lately_. "I don't hate you," he replied. "I am just upset."

"I know. You made it kind of clear," she continued. Aang sighed and sat up in bed.

"Katara, when you kissed him," Aang started, putting a sour emphasis on 'him'. "I felt so rejected. I felt like you favored Talon over me, and because of that, I broke up with you."

"But you didn't have to be so mean after that," she complained.

"You're right, but I couldn't exactly face you, so I acted in the way I thought was best at the moment. I ignored you," Aang explained. "I'm sorry if that came across as being mean," he added. Katara nodded.

"I didn't mean to cheat on you. Talon was so nice, and it was easier to open up to him," she looked down, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. "And then it just happened," she finished.

"That's all?" Aang asked, slightly confused at the thought of the kiss "just happening". _It looked like a whole lot more to me_.

"That's all," she answered, turning back to the window. She sighed. "Do you want to take a walk?" she asked. Aang looked at her, surprised at her offer.

"S-sure," he stuttered. They walked out the room just as Sokka came out of the bathroom. He smiled to himself.

"Being a matchmaker comes in handy sometimes."

-------------

The two walked through the narrow streets. They had been quiet for a while now, and they were just enjoying the sunny day. Katara looked over at Aang. _He looks so peaceful. I am so glad that we're friends again_. She had a small feeling that told her that she shouldn't rush into things, but she ignored it.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked. Katara blushed, realizing that she had been caught staring.

"I'm fine," she answered. After a few more moments she reached for his hand. He looked over at her and smiled, but he gently pulled his hand away. _I won't let it get to me, I just have to wait a little longer_, she told herself.

"We should head back. I'm sure that Kauri is up by now, and I should be there," Aang said, breaking the awkward silence. He turned around. Knowing there wasn't any other choice; Katara followed him back to the house. Sure enough, Kauri was awake. She, Keitaro, and Sokka were talking in the kitchen.

"Hi, I'm Aang," the monk introduced himself. Kauri shook his hand.

"And this must be your girlfriend," she assumed, looking at Katara. The ex-couple blushed while Sokka smirked in the background.

"No, I'm not," she said. _At least not anymore_, she silently added. "I'm just a friend. My name's Katara," she explained, shaking Kauri's hand. Both Kauri and Keitaro shot glances between the two. Katara could just hear their minds going, "Yeah right, we were young, too. You can't fool us."

"So, um, what were you guys talking about?" she asked, trying to take the focus off of her and Aang. Kauri raised her eyebrows at them but answered anyway.

"Oh, nothing. Sokka here was telling us how you guys ended up here," she told her. Katara cringed at the memories. _Like I really want to relive all of that mess_, she thought.

"Really," she replied, shooting a 'you better not have said anything' look to her brother. The wannabe warrior rolled his eyes. She exhaled in relief.

"Yes, he did," she continued. "And you guys are really brave to travel the world with no proper supervision." Katara blushed even more at her last statement, now realizing just how "close" she and Aang had been without supervision.

"It's been fun most of the time, though," Aang commented.

"Why only most of the time?" asked Kauri.

"Because we are always being chased-"

"By Prince Zuko," the others finished for him. Aang blinked in surprise but shrugged it off.

"It must be hard to have to fear for your life every single second," Keitaro said, joining their conversation. _Way to state the obvious_, Katara thought sarcastically.

"No kidding," grumbled Sokka. He was on his fourth piece of fruit. _Greedy pig of a brother_, she silently insulted. Katara turned her attention away from her brother and towards Kauri.

"So you're an earth bender," she said. When all four of the people looked at her with a 'so what?' expression on their faces, Katara turned crimson with embarrassment. _What a lame excuse for a conversation_, she scolded herself. She was grateful when Kauri spoke up.

"Yes, I am. Are you a bender?" she asked. Katara nodded.

"Water, I'm assuming," she stated. Katara nodded again.

"I've known since I was five," Katara told her. Keitaro spoke again.

"Aang, when did you figure out that you were the Avatar?" he asked. Aang glanced around the room. _He's still not completely comfortable telling his story_, Katara silently told them.

"Well, before I trapped myself into the iceberg, the monks told me," Aang quietly told them. Keitaro and Kauri must have understood what he was feeling.

"And I'm guessing that you were upset," Keitaro said.

"You two sure do guess a lot," Sokka mumbled.

"Chew with your mouth closed, Sokka," she scolded. Sokka glared at her but shut his mouth. Aang looked at Katara, and she understood what he was trying to tell her.

"Are you two okay?" Kauri asked.

"We're fine," Aang reassured her. "I just want her to finish the story." He sat down on a nearby stool. Katara followed his example and sat down, too.

"So then he ran away, got trapped in a storm, fell down into the water, and then would have drowned if he had not encased himself and Appa in a giant air bubble, which froze over. Sokka and I found him 100 years later, and our lives haven't been the same since," Katara explained. Kauri and Keitaro seemed startled by his story. Kauri gained her composure first.

"I only have to ask this one thing: do you ever regret leaving?" Kauri asked. Katara watched as Aang winced slightly. He answered her question anyway.

"At first, but now I'm just trying to accept it." Kauri and Keitaro seemed to understand enough. Katara let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Aang met her eyes and they held the gaze for a few moments. She saw him send her an unspoken "thank-you". She smiled in return, keeping his gaze. _You don't know how much I missed those beautiful gray eyes_. She felt herself getting closer and closer until…

"Oooo, Kataaaara and Aaaang sitting in a tree!K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" came Sokka's aggravating voice. _Damn my brother!_ The two snapped out of their daze and looked around. Katara was inches away from Aang's lips, Keitaro and Kauri looked pleased, and she and Aang couldn't have been more embarrassed.

"Excuse me," Katara breathed, scampering away as fast as she could. She ran into the guest room and slammed the door behind her.

"Oh, God, what have I done? Why did I have to go and try to kiss him? Why does love have to be so complicated?" she yelled.

"I used to ask myself that same question," someone said. She gasped and turned around, then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was only Keitaro. _Oh goodness_, she thought, feeling her face heat up for the fourth time that morning.

"Hi," she squeaked, sitting down on the windowsill. He chuckled and sat down on Sokka's bed.

"I knew you liked him from the time I saw you two. The chemistry was obvious," he told her. Katara forgot her embarrassment for a moment. _How'd he know?_

"You had the same expression on your face that Kauri had on hers when she was around me," Keitaro bragged. Katara giggled at that.

"But something's wrong with you two. It's not strong, but I can feel it," he continued. Katara glanced at him. _What does he know? _Something told her that she should talk to him.

"I messed things up," she said.

"What did you do?" he asked. Katara took a deep breath and sighed. _It wouldn't hurt to tell him_, she told herself.

"I kind of…" she hesitated for a moment.

"Go on," Keitaro urged.

"I kissed another guy," she confessed. She felt relieved on two things. _It feels good to admit something like that and_, she glimpsed at Keitaro, _he isn't looking at me like I'm some criminal_.

"I bet he was upset," he stated. _No kidding_.

"Yea, he told me he was after a rocky time between us. He said that he had broken up with me because he was heartbroken and that he felt rejected," Katara explained.

"This is like déjà vu all over again," Keitaro mumbled to himself.

"Please don't say that," Katara begged. "I've heard it once before and I don't want to hear it again." _Last time I heard it, Aang broke up with me. And I don't really care to remember that_.

Keitaro nodded, and then smiled. "Okay, I won't say it again. It's just that when Kauri and I had our first argument, she said those exact words to me, too." Katara was a little confused.

_Is he psychic? How does he know that Aang said that if I never mentioned it?_

Keitaro noticed her expression. "No, I'm not a psychic." He stopped to laugh at the thought. "Anyways, my best friend was a girl, kind of like how you are Aang's best friend. Her name was Jasmine and we did everything together."

She smiled at the comparison. _We _do _do everything together_, she realized. "So what happened?"

"Well, Jasmine and Kauri weren't the friendliest with each other. Kauri accused Jasmine of being a boyfriend stealer, and Jasmine thought that Kauri was a pathetic do-gooder," he continued. Katara couldn't help but laugh at that. _That is_ so _catty_. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks: _like Samaria and I. Ouch_.

"So one day Jasmine told Kauri a "secret". Jasmine told Kauri that we were a couple, and that the only reason I didn't tell her was because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Kauri ran to me and said these exact words: 'How could you do this to me? I thought what we had was special! I feel so heartbroken and rejected!' And then she earth bended a few rocks towards me and ran away."

Katara had doubled over from laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes.

"I would…have done…the same thing as…Kauri!" She managed to say through her laughter. Keitaro couldn't help but join her.

"Yes, I would have, too," he said. Katara calmed down and wiped the tears away.

"Well I'm glad that you two are happy together now," she said.

"And you and Aang can be, too. Just talk to him, okay?" he gave her a hug.

"Thanks, Keitaro."

"You're…"

-------------

"…welcome," Kauri got up. Aang watched as she took a few items out of the cupboard. _Maybe I should just let the past go and forgive her_. He had just gone through a whole conversation with Kauri. _She told me that giving her another chance would make things all better_. _But does it? I always thought wounds took time to heal_.

"So do you like kissing her?" Kauri asked. Aang turned scarlet, from how personal the question was and how humiliating it was. _Not to mention Sokka is sitting right across from me_.

"Uh…" he started, stealing a glance towards Sokka, who was eating (again). He was staring intensely at Aang. _What the heck_.

"Yeah," he answered, purposely looking at the warrior when he said it. Sokka scowled.

"This will sound shallow," Kauri began. "But do you want to give that up?" she asked. Aang shook his head "no".

"So forgive her, and not only will you get your best friend back, you'll also get a good kisser," she told him before turning back to gathering things for lunch. He thought some more about their conversation. Aang looked up when Katara and Keitaro walked into the room. He was surprised when Katara knelt beside him.

"Do you want to take another walk?" she asked. He looked up at the older couple, who smiled at him with encouragement.

"Sure," he replied, letting Katara take his hand and lead him outside.

They walked outside. Aang found a small creek nearby. "Show me some of your earth bending," Katara requested. He nodded and made a small wall around them, then crafted to small chairs out of the earth. Katara giggled, and then sat down onto the earth chair.

"Nice," she complimented. He smiled and sat down on the chair beside her. He noticed a familiar warmth on his hand. He smiled when he noticed that they were stilling holding hands. Katara felt him staring at her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I've missed that," he whispered.

"Me too," she said. They sat in more awkward silence, and Aang lowered part of the wall in front of them. They took off their shoes and dipped their feet into the cool water, liking the feel of the water and the gooey mud in between their toes.

"We should talk some more," Katara suggested.

"I know. Katara, I know that I've said this before, but I'm so sorry for how I treated you."

"And I'm sorry for how I treated you, but I think that we have to do more than apologize." This got Aang serious.

"Okay, well…um, what do we talk about?"

Katara shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I don't know."

"I guess we just talk about anything and everything," Aang offered. They sat in an awkward silence for a while.

"Do you want to talk about our first argument?" she asked. Aang laughed.

"It was so petty."

13Flashback31

_Aang and Katara were lying down in the sand, their sides hurting from laughing too much. They had spent the hour talking, laughing, reliving memories, and just having a great time. Aang looked over at Katara. Her two braids had become undone; it was down in gorgeous caramel waves. _Gosh she is gorgeous!_ he thought. Aang's hand reached down into her hair, gently combing it out. Katara looked up at him. She let her mind wander to when they first met (or rather, she found him in that giant ice cube). He was in her arms, and she remembered how her breath had caught when she had met his beautiful gray eyes. _Those eyes; I fell for them the moment I saw them_, she thought. The two sat up; Aang nervously taking her hand. _

"_It's such a beautiful day, Katara. I'm glad that you decided to spend some time with me," he said. _

That is so sweet,_ she thought. _

_Aang started to stroke her hand. He wasn't very graceful, though. _He is such an amateur_. She started to giggle, not aware of the effect it was having on Aang. His mood turned from carefree and happy to confusion and frustration. He stood up, turning away from her. _Why is she laughing at me? I want to make her happy, and I'm trying, and it still seems like she thinks this is funny!

"_Why are you laughing at me?" he asked her, practically yelling. _

What is his problem?

"_What has gotten into you, Aang?" she told him, seriously wanting to know why he was acting like this all of a sudden._

Don't play dumb, Katara,_ Aang thought, getting a little hot._

"_I try to make you happy, to enjoy this moment with you, and you laugh in my face! What is that about?" Aang yelled. With a little guilty satisfaction, he saw Katara flinch at his tone._

"_I'm just laughing because you are an amateur!" she explained. Aang's face went from disbelief to anger to sadness and back again. _What the hell does she mean by that?_ His face must have shown his thoughts, because Katara was frantically trying to explain herself._

"_I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just" Katara stuttered, but was interrupted by Aang._

"_What do you mean then? Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you think this is a joke, like you don't take me seriously!" he stopped for a moment to kook at her. She was near tears, and looked like a little kid caught in the candy jar. _

"_Aang, please, calm down. Let me explain!" Katara choked out, crying._

"_You can explain later. I need to go for a while to go after my thoughts," he whispered, walking away. Katara ran after him, grabbing his hand. Aang gently pushed her away, saying, "Please leave me alone. I need to spend a little while by myself." _

_Katara cried harder, looking back after him before running back to camp. _

13End Flashback31

"Wow, I can't believe I got so worked up over nothing," Aang said. "I feel so bad."

"Aang, it is nothing to worry about now. Our relationship was new and I guess we just didn't know how to express our feelings."

"I think that problem still follows us today."

She sighed, knowing that he was right. Brushing the comment away, she remembered another road bump. "Do you remember the second time we were in drama?"

Aang laughed. "I was looking too far into the situation. I feel so immature right now." Katara laughed with him and recapped the time when she re-met Haru.

13Flashback31

"_I see that Aang is connecting with the earth," Haru said, remembering when he had to do the same thing. _

"_Yea, he is." She and Haru sat down on a nearby bench. She looked around and spotted Sokka sharpening his coveted boomerang. _

"_So, how are things going with your brother and Aang?" Haru asked. Katara looked at him. _I wonder if I should tell him about me and Aang.

"_Sokka's doing great," she said. "And Aang and I are a couple now." She waited for his response. Haru turned to Aang and back again, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard._

"_Really?" he asked. Katara's face darkened. Why_? Is that a problem with you?_ she asked him silently. Haru noticed her face and was apologetic._

"_Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I just thought you two would stay best friends," he said, explaining himself. _

_Katara softened. "Okay. And I guess a lot of people would think that." The two sat in an awkward silence, watching Aang and the king. They were now meditating. She looked over at her brother. _He looks really bored_. Sokka was looking at the sky, his boomerang back in its place. _

"_I have to go. It's dusk and my trainer won't be very happy if I get to the bunk late." Katara and Haru got up and walked outside the garden. _

"_Thanks for spending the afternoon with me. I had a great time," Haru said. Katara gave him a hug. _

"_You're welcome, Haru. Anytime," she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek._

"_Katara?" Katara looked at the person who had called her name. Aang and Sokka had seen her hug and kiss Haru. _

"_I thought you said that you will never hurt me!" Aang cried, running inside the palace._

"_I told you to be careful!" Sokka screamed at her. _

"_But the kiss didn't mean anything, I swear!" Katara said, crying._

"_But Aang doesn't know that." Sokka ran after Aang._

_Katara turned to Haru. "Haru, I-_

_She was cut off because Haru had_ _disappeared. With a heavy heart, Katara went inside the palace, expecting the worse._

13End Flashback31

"It didn't mean anything," Katara explained.

"I know that _now_, but back then I didn't."

_And that's what led to Samaria_, they both recalled.

13Flashback31

_He stopped when he got outside to gather his breath. Looking around he saw a group of girls. He smiled like a devil. _What better way to get my mind off of Katara: other girls._ He strolled over to them. They stopped talking to each other to look at him. _

"_Aren't you the Avatar?" one asked. Aang looked at her. _Not bad looking._ She had curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. She had a sprinkling of freckles on her tan skin. She wore the ordinary Earth Kingdom clothes for a girl: a green and brown dress. The girl and her friends noticed that Aang was checking her out._

"_Yea, I am. I'm here to learn-_

"_Earth bending," she finished for him. She smiled at him._

"_I'm Samaria." Samaria extended her hand._

13End Flashback31

"I can't stand her," Katara declared, her voice covered in hate. Aang winced at all of the things Samaria had put them through.

"I'm sorry that she treated you that way," Aang apologized.

"It's in the past," she said.

"I know it is, but it led to so many things," Aang argued. She stopped to think this over. It had led to her capture, almost-rape, Talon, and the reason why they were in Kailur. She looked at the sky; since it was dusk it was painted in many gorgeous colors: cherry, cerulean, emerald, pink, amethyst, and gold. She then realized that Aang was waiting for an answer.

"She did cause so many bad things, but I'm more than willing to leave it all behind," she responded. Aang smiled and nodded.

"That's a really good idea," he said. They sat there quietly for a few more minutes.

"We should go," Aang said, standing up. He helped Katara up, then let go of her hand. They dried their feet and slipped their shoes back on.

"Before we go," Katara began.

"Yes?"

She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss upon his lips. He quickly pulled away.

"Katara, I know that we have worked some things out, but I'm not ready to kiss you like that just yet." He looked at her. _I want to kiss you, but I can't just yet_.

Katara was fuming. She was irritated. She felt frustrated. Above all else, she was confused. "Why can't you kiss me? We've been talking and holding hands and you let me kiss you on the cheek! What's the problem?"

Aang cringed. "I told you the problem, I-"

"I'm not ready yet. Yes I know!"

"Please calm down," he asked. They walked back to the house for a few moments before either of them spoke again.

"When will you be ready?" He heaved a sigh. _She's not going to like this answer._

"When I can fully trust you again," he answered honestly.

"_What?_ After what we just discussed you _still_ can't trust me?" She was nearly screaming.

"I'm sorry, but I need to know for sure that I can trust you fully. I want you, I need you, and I know that you'll be there when I come back to you, but I still need some time," he explained.

Katara stared at him for one or two seconds. "Okay, I understand."

_Thanks goodness_, Aang thought, relieved.

"You better just hope that I really will be here when you decide to come back," she finished coolly, running ahead of him.

_What does she mean? Will she really _not _take me back?_ he thought. Then he mentally slapped himself.

_Of course she will take me back_.

_At least I hope so_.

-------------

Katara reached the house within two minutes. She ignored Kauri and Keitaro's questions and ran straight to her room. She opened up the window and sat on the windowsill, but soon decided against it. _Why should I have to face him when he gets home?_ She climbed off of the shelf and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to go take a walk," she told Keitaro.

"Where's Aang?"

"He's coming," she answered. Keitaro gave her a funny look but ignored her reply.

"Here," he said, handing her a lantern. "Be quick; it's getting dark." He poked his head out of the window. "A storm might be coming, so be careful."

Katara grabbed the lantern from him and went outside, passing Aang on her way out. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. "Can we talk?" She yanked her arm away from his grasp.

"No," she said firmly. She walked outside. She didn't care where she was going; all she wanted was to get away from Aang. _I knew I should have been patient with him. Why did I have to rush into things? Why can't I just slow down?_ She kept thinking things like this, but soon her mood switched.

_Well, he was the one leading me on! He didn't have to let me kiss him. Why did he say he wanted me back if he wouldn't kiss me? I know that is kind of selfish, but still, what about my feelings? What about what I want?_

Soon she found herself in a forest. Katara kept going until she reached a small clearing. She sat down on a tree stump, moping and feeling sorry for herself. She saw a streak of lightning appear in the sky. Calculating the number of seconds between that and the thunder, she figured out that the storm Keitaro had been predicting was only three miles away. _And from the looks of it, approaching fast_. She stood up and looked around, but since she didn't pay any attention to her surroundings when she came, she had no way of knowing which was to go home.

_Damn_.

-------------

Aang was eating dinner when the rain started. "Is Katara home yet?" he asked with worry. Keitaro shook his head.

"Don't worry about her. I'm sure that she will be home soon," he tried to reassure the monk. Aang looked doubtful, but he turned back to his meal of seafood alfredo. _I hope she's okay_, he thought. Not being able to eat his food any longer, he got up from the table.

"I'm going to bed early. Wake me up when she gets here." Keitaro nodded and Aang walked back to the guest room, closing the door behind him. He took off his shoes and slid into bed.

"Please get home soon, Katara," he whispered before falling into a deep sleep.

13Dream/Spirit World31

"_Hello?" Aang sat up. _This is weird,_ he thought, taking in his surroundings. He was in some kind of valley. There weren't many trees, but the lush emerald carpet beneath his feet was gorgeous and the azure sky above him had a beautiful sun shining. The grass was spotted with daisies here and there, and Aang saw a few small animals appear every now and then. _

_Aang walked through the valley, but the more he walked the deeper and wider the valley became. "What kind of dream is this?" he asked to no one in particular._

"_It isn't a dream," said a familiar voice. Aang looked around for the voice, and fell through the transparent ghost of Avatar Roku._

"_What am I doing here?" Aang asked. "Am I in trouble?"_

"_No, but someone you know may be," was Roku's reply._

"_What do you mean?" _What is he talking about?

"_I am talking about that Water Tribe girl, Katara," Roku said. Aang blushed, but turned serious._

"_What about her? Is she okay?"_

_Silence was the answer Aang received._

"_Where is she?" _I hope she hasn't gotten hurt.

"_Not yet, but if you don't go, she will be." Aang lost all control when he said that._

"_Where is she? She's caught in that storm. I knew it! I should have been nicer!"_

"_Calm down," Roku ordered. He waited until Aang was breathing normally again. When the air bender was, Roku continued._

"_First, Katara is caught in the storm. She is lost, cold, wet, and hungry."_

"_Can't she just find her way back?"_

"_No, and for two reasons. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings."_

"_What's the second reason?" Aang asked._

"_It's dark out, and the storm makes it worse. Katara isn't able to see and that could make things worse if she tried to find her way back home."_

_Aang stared at Roku in bewilderment._

"_So it's up to me to find her?" Aang asked, though the answer was more like a statement. Roku nodded._

"_You can do it," he said before vanishing away. Aang sat down on the grass. _What am I going to do? How am I supposed to find her?

"_Use your wits and wisdom," he heard Roku say. Aang took a deep breath and nodded. _

I will,_ he resolved. He stood up and began to walk through the valley in the way he had come from. Gradually the scenery disappeared and Aang found himself in eternal whiteness._

"_Aang!" someone called out._

"_Hello?"_

"_Aang!" it said again._

"_Hello?" Aang said, confused._

"_Aang, wake up!"_

13End Dream/Spirit World31

"What?" Aang mumbled. He looked up to see Sokka standing over him.

"Are you okay? That was some nightmare you had," Sokka said. Aang sat up and rubbed the last bit of sleep out of his eyes.

"It wasn't a nightmare. I was in the Sprit World," Aang explained.

"What did we do now?" Sokka questioned. Aang shook his head.

"We didn't do anything. Avatar Roku told me that Katara was lost," he continued.

"What?" Sokka exclaimed in disbelief.

"She's out there, probably in the forest behind the village. Roku told me that she would be in serious trouble if I don't help her."

"Did he tell you where she was?"

Aang shook his head. "No. I'm only guessing that she's in the forest." He got up and slid his shoes on. "I'm going to go find her," he concluded.

"Aang, you have absolutely no idea where she is. How are you supposed to find her?" Sokka asked. Aang shrugged.

"I guess I'll use my wits and wisdom," he told Sokka, repeating the words Roku had said to him. Sokka followed Aang into the kitchen, where Aang told Kauri what had happened.

"I'm going, too," Sokka said. Kauri handed them lanterns.

"Be safe," she whispered, watching the two disappear into the stormy night.

-------------

_I've got to find some sort of shelter_, Katara thought. She was soaking wet, shivering, and hungry. _And to make matters worse, the rain is coming down harder._ She shuddered harder when the wind picked up. She glared down at the lantern beside her, which had gone out an hour ago. To add to her troubles, _I have no light_. Katara had long since tried to feel her away around, but had gotten dirtier, scraped, bruised, and even more lost in the process. Even with the crude protection of the trees, rain and wind still reached her in great amounts.

Now Katara was sitting against a tree trunk, curling up as tight as she could. She already knew that bending the water away was a waste of energy, and it didn't do much to keep her dry. _Please, someone find me, anyone. _She shivered again and let out a violent cough. _Please, Aang, come find me._

-------------

"Did you hear that?" Sokka asked. Aang stopped for a moment to listen. _I could have sworn I heard someone_.

"I think we're getting closer," Aang replied. Sokka shielded the flames in the lantern as they walked. He almost tripped over Aang when the avatar stopped suddenly.

"How am I supposed to find her?" Aang groaned. He sat down on one of the many tree stumps.

"Oh, I don't know. How about you use your wits and wisdom," Sokka mocked. Aang looked up at him.

"I'm serious. How am I going to find her if I have no idea where she is?" Aang asked Sokka. The warrior sat down beside him, grimacing as he slid slightly through the mud. Still shielding the flames, he answered the monk.

"Look, I'm only going to tell you this once, so pay attention. Katara needs your help. She is counting on you. You are her only hope. Now is not the time to doubt your abilities. Now is not the time to mope. You are going to rescue her."

Aang gazed up at Sokka, his eyes wide. He could barely make out Sokka's grave expression, but he knew it was there. Still, Aang had more things to get out of his system before they kept searching.

"Sokka, all she wanted is for us to get back together. All she wanted was to have me back."

"But you were too stubborn," Sokka finished for him. Aang nodded.

"I kept telling her that I wasn't ready. I kept telling her that I had to think things through, but I guess now that I think about it, I think I was-"

"Scared?" Sokka asked. Aang nodded.

"Look Aang, I'm telling you this both as another guy and as a brother. When it comes to girls, it's all or nothing. You need to know what you want. If you keep her waiting, she just might move on."

"She told me that if I kept her waiting she would leave me for good. She also told me that I should stop leading her on if I don't know what I want," Aang confirmed.

"See? She told you the same thing I am," Sokka said.

"So I should take a risk?" _I don't know what I should do_.

"Exactly. If you really love her the way you say you do, then you will." Sokka stood up, and tried in vain to wipe the mud off of his pants. Aang stood up, too.

"I'm ready."

-------------

Katara couldn't feel anymore. She couldn't see. She was getting sicker by the minute. Every time the rain would speed up or every time the wind would become stronger, she found herself coughing. She even vomited up the small apple she had found in her pocket.

Katara thought that she was hallucinating. She was almost asleep when she heard voices. "Help," she croaked out.

"Shhh," a recognizable voice said. She obeyed and felt herself get picked up.

"I don't feel good," she mumbled, before she fell into a deep sleep.

------------

"Uhhhh," she mumbled.

"Don't move," she heard Kauri's comforting voice say. Katara opened her eyes to see herself back in the guest room.

_How did I get here?_ she asked herself.

"Those two boys brought you here. You're lucky you aren't in a more serious condition," she said. _Like being dead_, she silently added.

"What happened?"

"They told me and Keitaro that you were almost asleep. They told us that you were covered in cuts, bruises, and mud, and that you were coughing."

_Aang_.

She sighed in relief when a cool, damp cloth was pressed against her forehead. "May I please have something to eat?" she asked Kauri.

"Sure, honey, I'll be right back." Kauri left and Katara sat up, and then felt a shooting pain charge through her left arm as she did.

"Keitaro said that you broke your arm," Aang explained. She glanced over at him, only noticing now that he was in the room.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What about me?" complained Sokka. She looked to her left to find Sokka sitting on his bead.

"Thank you, too," she told him. He pouted. Aang got up to sit on her bed.

"How are you feeling?" His answer was a cough from her. "Oh."

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"I think I will just leave now," Sokka said, passing Kauri on his way out of the room. Katara smiled at the bowl of chicken noodle soup on the tray in front of her.

"I'll leave you two alone," she said, then closed the door when she exited.

"Don't apologize to me. It was my fault for leading you on. You were right to be mad at me," he began.

"So are you saying that we should go back to only being best friends?" she asked as she took in a big mouthful of soup. She swallowed.

"Do you?" she asked. "It's okay; I'll be able to handle it." _Not really but I'll manage somehow._ Her heart sped up when he planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Not at all, Katara," he told her. She smiled at him.

"Really?"

"Yes," was his answer. "Can we just promise ourselves one thing?"

She looked up at him. _What does he want us to promise?_ She soon got her answer.

"Let's promise ourselves that we won't hurt each other again. Let's promise ourselves that we won't let ourselves get so caught up that we can't think," he suggested.

"Let's promise ourselves that we will always know what we want," she finished. They gazed into each other's eyes.

"I promise."

-------------

"Good morning. Do you feel better?" Aang asked Katara the next morning. She nodded.

"A lot better, thank you," she replied.

"Are you well enough to take a walk?"

She glanced down at her bandaged arm, the wrapping stiff with some kind of solution he had soaked it in. Her arm was still painful, but the medication that Keitaro had given her was dulling the ache really well. _He never did tell us that he was a doctor._ "Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute to get dressed. He nodded and left the room, shutting the door to give her privacy. She climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom, washing herself. After getting dressed in a spare outfit, she poked her head out the window again. _Today's going to be a good one_, she told herself.

She went over to the door and opened it. "I'm ready," she told him. He took her right hand and told the older couple that they were going out. Kauri and Keitaro beamed at the two benders as they walked outside.

They walked in silence for a while, back to the small creek that they had discovered the first day they were here. One again, Aang made two small earth chairs. One more time, they took off their shoes so that they could dip their toes in the clear water. Yet again, they held hands.

"Just between the two of us," Katara said. "I always knew that you couldn't stay away from me for too long." Aang laughed.

"You flatter yourself too much," he joked. "But seriously, I can't." They smiled and stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"Those blue eyes are so gorgeous," he whispered. She giggled.

"And those gray eyes that you have are beautiful," Katara returned. They smiled, and then leaned into a fiery, passionate kiss. Aang lowered the chairs until they were sitting on the bare ground. They lied down, pressing themselves into each other, he being careful not to hurt her arm. Aang let his hands wander up and down her sides, her front, and her back. Katara traced his arrows and rested her hands against his rear end.

"Mmmm," she groaned, letting his tongue enter his mouth. He shifted so that he was partially on top of her. They put all of their passion and love into that one kiss. He deepened it. She wrapped her good arm around his neck, while her other fingers traced his face.

Pulling apart for air, they grinned at each other. They gasped but kept their position. Aang planted more kisses on her neck and face.

"I love you," Katara said. He looked down at her, both their eyes filled with so much adoration for the other.

"I love you, too," he said.

_And I always will_.

THE END

I hope you guys enjoyed the story. Review please, all of you. And wait for the sequel!

Luv ya all,

DayDream11, firebender

"For better or worse

Through thick and thin,

She's the light

That shines within."

Author Unknown


End file.
